


Promises and pleasure probes

by Querion



Series: Loving Seven [1]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/F, From Sex to Love, Pub crush, Sex in Space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-01 03:23:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13989423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Querion/pseuds/Querion
Summary: When a technologically advanced race of aliens offer Captain Kathryn Janeway a quick way home she suspects subterfuge.The crew is offered a much needed shore leave and she gets caught up in an `unplanned marriage` and a baby on the way.





	1. Advanced aliens

"Fire when ready. Keep firing until you hit something!" Captain Janeway barked before she was thrown off her chair. She flew across the bridge and landed on her behind in front of the Engineering station. She groaned as she felt a sharp pain shoot up her spine. Janeway briefly closed her eyes and gritted her molars hard until the pain passed. When she opened her eyes she saw a pair of blue heeled feet in front of her. She craned her neck up to find out whose feet the heels belonged to. Up, up and up she went. Kathryn was sure she had craned her neck 180 degrees when she finally saw a blue biosuited Borg woman looking down at her with a stretched arm for her to grasp. Janeway shook her head as if to clear her mind of the hallucination she was clearly experiencing. `No, it was not a hallucination at all,` she found out when she felt the ship rocking from side to side like a chew toy tossed about by an extremely excited canine puppy. She forced a smile at the helpful woman and took the offered hand. She slowly stood up while ignoring the sharp pain which returned with a vengeance. It forced her to lean forward. She nearly fell back onto the deck but thanks to the helpful woman again who now stood behind her and caught her by the waist and held the falling woman close to her. 

A COUPLE OF DAYS PRIOR

Seven of Nine sat quietly in the conference room listening to all the senior staff contributing excitedly to a discussion about the region of space they were currently traversing. The Gamma shift crew had picked up faint ion trails, about three days old, of a ship leading towards a binary star system with six planets three of them M class and the remaining three were gas giants akin to Sol system`s Jupiter. The discussion was about whether it was worth finding out who lived on this planet. They could trade and replenish their dwindling food supplies, possibly make a new ally and have some much needed shore leave. The astrometrics officer`s mind had gone off on a tangent. Again. That made four times in a week. Initially she suspected her implants were malfunctioning but when she looked back a few weeks prior to this and even months before, the young woman discovered that these so-called implant malfunctions only occurred in the presence of one particular individual. She reacted to this individual`s voice, the tilt and timbre, its subtle pitch and even the intensity of it was almost musical to Seven. Goosebumps would erupt on her arms and other more hidden reactions would occur to her body. Seven felt that she wanted to be in this human`s vicinity, in her presence all the time. She knew, however, that this was impossible considering it was Captain Janeway. Seven had tried for years to conjure up philosophical questions so that she could be with the captain even in the dead of night. She found that the captain was always accommodating her, never questioned her odd timings or strange and sometimes very personal and intruding questions. Captain Janeway had once told her that `her door was always open for her.` Seven had looked up the meaning of this idiom and knew that it was used for people who were friends. The captain had also once told her that because she was the captain that meant that she could not always be the young woman`s friend. Seven was intuitive enough to understand that these two were not contradictory at all. Janeway was only referring to the timing when she could be Seven`s friend, accommodate her on a personal level but that this could not happen all the time. Captain Janeway had to divide her time with all the crew members, not just her.

 

Seven was now listening to captain Janeway.

"We all need a shore leave and replenishing our food supplies, Neelix. Thanks for the update. Seven? Is there anything you know about this region? The people who live here?" There was no reply from the young woman.

"Seven?" Janeway called again.

"...uh, yes, Captain?" The Borg woman stammered, a faint blush colouring her Nordic features, which if Janeway was to be truthful to herself, was so adorable she wanted to kiss her.

"Yes, Seven i wanted to know if there was something you knew about this region."

"I apologize for my inattention. Yes, this region is called the Farakken Expanse, as you already know. The Borg had trouble assimilating the species of Palabulon 1, Malabulon 2 and Chalabulon 3 but finally they did.

"Palabulon 1?" B`Elanna Torres asked.

"It is the name of the first M class planet, the most advanced of the three. They had trans warp technology before the Collective heard of it. They also mastered the technology in parthenogenesis, procreation, space folding and cloaking technology. When Palabulon 1 was finally assimilated, the Queen deleted the information where this race could leave their star system after breakfast to go and trade one hundred thousand light years away and be home for lunch. She also erased the expression which said: Honey, i am home, when the travelers returned home. I disagreed with the Queen because i felt the statements had a humorous effect and could be beneficial to the Collective but she scolded me harshly and threatened to remove me from being the next in line to the throne." The ex drone concluded her report. 

"Oh my god! You are a Princess, Seven." The chief engineer exclaimed causing Seven to raise an eye brow. "So what about the other two?" Seven looked at the captain for approval and saw Janeway nod slightly.

"Malabulon 2 is also fairly advanced in comparison to Palabulon 1. The Buloners, as they call themselves, have a single central government system. A series of regional systems enforce the necessary laws agreed by the central government. The central government consists of a representative from each regional system. The youth are also involved and encouraged to join in their areas of dwelling. Malabulon 2 boasts nuclear reactors and are quite obsessed with Quantum science. They are known to travel back and forth through time to correct errors." Seven said distastefully causing Janeway to smile. They also excel in spy technology as at one point in the past they were suspicious of their neighbours` interference in their culture, which does not make much sense, Captain." Seven said.

"Go on.." Janeway encouraged.

"The last inhabited planet is Chalabulon 3. This is the world of the youngsters and all those individuals who are `young at heart.` All the latest fashion is made here and exported to Palabulon 1 and Malabulon 2. This is the world of art lovers. It is where art meets science. I recommend we let Naomi Wildman visit this world. They also manufacture complex aids for copulation which is a lucrative business in the whole system." Seven heard Tom snort. "The Queen also expunged irrelevant fashion data from this planet such as the copulation aids and dress sense stating that drones have no use of them." The Borg woman looked at the captain and noted a cute blush on her classic features. It made her want to run her fingers along Janeway`s lips. Seven shook her head slightly as if to clear it off the forbidden but pleasant thought.

 

The senior officers agreed to investigate the planets and see for themselves whether what Seven said was true. As Tom Paris, the helmsman, laid in a course to follow the faint ion trails and engaged the engines to warp one, the captain left the bridge for her ready room. She needed to drink a very strong cup of coffee. The old battle within her raged. The one she wanted to take a mate and not want to take one. Kathryn snorted and laughed so hard. Schrodinger`s cat paradox immediately came to mind. Janeway sat at the upper level of her office sipping at the cup of black coffee she had just got from the replicator.

"What were you on about, Katie? You want to kiss the woman?" The captain asked herself.

"What have i done now? I was just trying to make you see that you have needs like the rest of us." The woman in her said. Janeway was beginning to think that she was either losing her marbles or just tired and needed a good night`s sleep.

THE FARAKKEN EXPANSE

 

Janeway stood on unsteady feet. She ignored the pain in her lower back and forced a few steps towards the captain`s chair where she threw herself in. She looked beside her and saw her first officer also picking himself off the deck and sit on the chair next to hers. Janeway saw loose boards of bulkheads and conduits hanging above her. Smoke billowed from Harry Kim`s communications console but the man himself seemed to be well. Janeway knew that the emergency automated fire suppression system and air conditioner will soon kick in. At present she would have to hold her breath for as long as she could, which she knew was only very few seconds. Kathryn mourned the frailty of the human body. The firing from from an unknown place had now ceased and everything was strangely quiet. It had taken only a few minutes of cross fire, probably just five. The firing was aimless, uncoordinated and the attackers did not answer to Voyager`s hails. 

"Report!" Captain Janeway barked. 

"Warp engine is offline, we are running on impulse power. Shields are down to twenty percent, life support is minimal, sick bay reports twenty injuries none of them serious but no fatalities. Transporters are functional and there are hull breaches on decks nine through eleven." Tuvok the security chief reported.

"Harry, try hailing on all frequencies including sub space." The captain said.

 

A few moments later an attractive face of a middle aged alien woman appeared on Voyager`s view screen. She looked so human that Janeway thought she was hallucinating. An eye piece which looked like an old fashioned Terran lens was seen over her left eye. She smiled sadly at the state of the alien ship. Then she silently looked around the bridge, as if to assess who the leader was and seemed to pinpoint her gaze at Janeway.

"Captain Janeway?" The alien asked.

"I am Captain Janeway of the Federation Star ship Voyager. We meant you no harm. Why were you firing at us? And how do you know my name?" The captain made an attempt to stand up from her chair but the sharp shooting pain in her lower back returned. She winced and was on her way to sit back down again when she felt strong hands hold her up. She murmured a `thank you` at Seven of Nine and leveled grey eyes at the alien on the view screen.

"I am Prisca of the house of Neret , Speaker of Palabulon 1. I apologize for putting you in such a predicament. I welcome you to our planet. I promise to explain everything when you get here. Do you require medical assistance, engineers? Food supplies? I knew your name and rank through this device on my eye. As for your attack it was caused by some youngsters from Chalabulon 3. The youth can be unruly sometimes. They are being incarcerated as we speak and will be punished accordingly. As for the rest, i shall explain to you when you arrive in twelve hours." The alien spoke in fluent British accent, mostly Cockney but there was some Geordie and Scouse thrown in the mix, Ensign Chloe Draper, noted. She was a pilot from the Beta shift, originally from the European Sector of Earth. She had been called to the bridge to assist during the brief fight to take over when lieutenant Tom Paris was injured. Draper knew that the universal translator could be customized to an individual`s accent and dialect they were used to but what she was hearing was too realistic for the translator. So the young woman decided to try her theory. She switched off her comm badge and tried listening to the alien woman speak on the view screen. Her theory was confirmed. The alien woman was speaking perfect British English. She switched on her comm badge and sat in Paris` seat at the helm while the other pilot was escorted to sick bay. 

"Thank you, Speaker Prisca of the house of Neret, Speaker of Palabulon 1. I am grateful for your offer. I believe we will manage for now. May i ask if i could contact you if need arises?" Janeway asked. She saw the Speaker smile triumphantly.

"Please Kathryn, call me Prisca. My ship, the Violea, will lead the way but we will keep our communications channel open at all times. I will be heading down to the pub for now, captain Janeway. Feel free to join me whenever you like." The woman said. Seven saw her smile seductively at Janeway and raise an eye brow. Janeway felt herself being held tighter by Seven perhaps in an unconscious display of possession? She wondered but she loved the sensation of being held this way. It was inappropriate and positively sinful and she was on the bridge in full view of other officers.The Borg woman did not like the alien`s reaction to the captain one bit. She whispered something in Janeway`s ear which sent shivers down Kathryn`s back.

"Captain this could be a deception. Think carefully before you beam over to the alien ship." Janeway turned her head to look into the Borg woman`s eyes. Ice blue orbs stared back at her in challenge. `Was that jealousy?` The older woman wondered So she decided to test her theory.

"Seven, could you help me get to sick bay then we could both go and join captain Prisca Neret on the Violea? Besides, i wouldn`t want to pass up a chance of a good whiskey."

"Yes, captain." Seven said eagerly and immediately started off with the captain towards the turbo lift. Janeway smiled knowingly.

"Captain, your body clearly sent you warnings to stop you from using it yet you continued to disobey these vital warnings!" The Emergency Medical Hologram chastised Janeway as he passed a bone knitter up and down Kathryn`s lower spine and on her left hip and left ankle. When he was done he replaced it with a dermal regenerator and set to work once again. The captain tolerated the chastisement until the Doctor was finished. Seven stood aside, waiting. 

"Thank you, Doctor." Janeway said politely and hopped off the bio bed. Seven and the EMH looked at the captain in amazement. No chastisement came but a sweet smile towards the EMH. 

"You are welcome, captain. Seven raised an eye brow as she noted that the Doctor had been fooled by Janeway and he did not seem to have noticed the deception. The young woman knew that Janeway wanted to go over to the Violea`s pub so she could try some alien whiskey. So she was in her best behaviour when she was in sick bay. Janeway knew that Starfleet`s data bases clearly states that when it comes to the captain`s health Doctors orders out rank the captain`s. If she was rude to the Doctor he may have used that to prevent her from leaving the ship under the pretext of ordering bed rest and use it as punishment. `Yes, captain Janeway was devious.` Seven thought to herself and loved this side of Kathryn. Janeway get off the bio bed with Seven`s help, briefed Chakotay and headed off to the transporter pad with Seven. 

 

Soon the captain and her officer were standing on the transporter pads of the Violea. She saw captain Prisca Neret and her second in command stand in waiting.

"Captain Janeway. May i call you Kathryn? And is this Seven of Nine, your astrometrics officer? Welcome booth to the Violea. Violea is one of a small fleet of patrol ships. We traverse through the Farakken Expanse guarding our borders. Our defense systems do not extend this far out but i hear there are plans in the works. I believe when that happens we will lose our jobs." Neret said by means of explanation. Seven walked behind the two captains. She quietly spoke with the second in command whose name was Matisse Neret. She learned that Matisse was Prisca`s bonded mate.

 

Captain Prisca Neret and her second in command, Matisse Neret, showed their guests captain Kathryn Janeway and her astrometrics officer Seven of Nine around the Violea. It had a roughly similar lay out to Voyager. Finally they headed to the ship`s pub and sat at a table. Matisse tok Seven`s hand and led her to the counter to order drinks.

 

There were several off duty officers sitting at tables talking, drinking and eating. Some were playing games at tables while others were simply watching news and entertainment programmes on large screens. A singer was playing a slow tune which sounded like it was meant for slow dancing to Janeway. Seven discovered that the ship was entirely run by female officers. She looked at Matisse and saw that the alien woman was intently looking at her mate. The blonde astrometrics officer followed Matisse`s gaze to see that she was looking at Prisca who was looking at the singer swaying her hips provocatively on stage. `Jealousy must be universal.` Seven thought. She turned her gaze towards Janeway. Her captain was looking at a padd she was given by the woman at the counter. Janeway was trying to decide what to order. `I am glad she is not looking at the dancing woman.` Seven found herself thinking. She could not stop herself from having these irrational thoughts no matter how hard she tried.

"Seven of Nine?" She heard her name being called to notice Matisse smiling at her.

"Yes?" Seven said.

"Are you and your captain bonded?"

"I.. no." The blonde said weakly as her eyes stubbornly went back to look at Janeway who was now ticking a few things off the padd`s screen. She had a lovely smile on her face and seemed completely oblivious to her surroundings.

"I see. Do you fancy her?"

"Excuse me?" Seven was puzzled by the new word.

"Do you wish she was your mate?"

"My feelings for her are irrelevant." Seven said a bit too harshly. That was all Matisse wanted to hear to prove her theory. She knew that the Borg woman fancied her captain so badly she was love sick. The alien wanted to help but did not know where to start. Perhaps she should talk to captain Janeway and her bonded partner.

"I know you do. I was the same way before we were joined then bonded. I would look at Prisca and could not get any work done." The alien woman laughed at her memory and Seven joined in with a small smile. The Borg woman noted that Matisse Neret was probably as old as she was. So she decided to ask her, hoping it was not a taboo subject.

"May i ask you something, Matisse?" Seven asked politely.

"Fire away."

"Do you only have women on your planet?"

"Women?" Matisse looked puzzled.

"Females." Seven clarified.

"Oh yes. We are all females."

"Then how do you procreate?"

"By means of parthenogenesis." 

"I see. How old are you?, Matisse?"

"Twenty-seven. Do i assume correctly that you are the same age?"

"Yes, i am." The ex drone confirmed.

"We have so much in common including the love for older females." Matisse said and slapped Seven on the shoulder. "Come now, let us order some food items and beverages. We can sit at our own table away from our females. We will eat and gossip about them." She suggested. The reserved Seven thought that was a great idea. She simply raised an eye brow and followed her new friend to a corner table. She soon discovered how devious her friend was when she discovered that the table was placed at a strategic vantage point. They could clearly watch their females from this corner. 

"My female." Seven said softly to herself as she tried the new word.

 

Kathryn threw her head back and laughed heartily at something Prisca Neret said. She then reached for the tot and brought it to her lips. She drank it in one gulp then placed the empty tot on the table noisily. Prisca did the same with hers and reached for her fork. Seven saw Janeway do the same. She speared something and they both reached their forks to their lips and devoured the morsel seemingly at the same time.

"Impressive, isn`t it?" Matisse said as she followed the Borg woman`s gaze. "My female and yours seem to be getting along really well. I am almost jealous." The young alien second in command said as she dubbed her mouth with her napkin. She noted that Seven had hardly touched her spaghetti and meatballs though she had at least drank three quarters of her champagne. 

"So, Kathryn. Tell me about Seven of Nine?" Prisca said in a conspiring tone. She leaned her elbows on the table towards Janeway and waited eagerly. She was tipsy and knew that Janeway was too.

"Uh, what`s there to say? She is the most intelligent human i have ever met. She is my astrometrics officer and a very good friend."

"Do you also love her?"

"Esc..excuse me?" Kathryn slurred.

"Do you have a deep longing for her, to be close to her and cherish her?"

"Oh, yesh...hic!" Janeway slurred some more.

"Then i will help you get close to her." The alien captain said simply.

"You will?" Janeway was not so sure but was willing to go along with the plan after all she wanted to be in good terms with her hostess and make First Contact a success, for Starfleet`s sake.

"Yeesh, i will." The captain of the Violea replied confidently albeit in a slurred tone.

 

Later, much much later, captain Janeway stumbled into her quarters on deck three with her astrometrics officer in tow. Seven took care of her drunken captain. She helped her walk to the bedroom. Janeway insisted that she needed a bath so the young woman filled the tub and helped Janeway undress. At one point she lifted the grey turtle neck she wore under the command jacket. Janeway slipped from Seven`s grip and landed on her behind in the tub with a splash.

"If you laugh, Seven, i will kill you!" The drunken woman warned while Seven hid a smile. Her smile was short lived, however, when she looked at the older woman`s chest. Full breasts, smaller than hers, with dusky erect nipples proudly jutted out of her chest. Clearly her command uniform did not do the older woman justice. They seemed to be begging to be touched by the Borg woman. Seven resisted with all her might and concentrated on washing the severely uncoordinated woman`s body. She efficiently completed the task and was soon tucking Kathryn in bed.

"Please don`t leave?" Janeway slurred so Seven took off her heels and joined her in bed where they both promptly fell asleep.


	2. What have i done?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Voyager crew arrive on Palabulon 1. Janeway is glad that this advanced race share similar ideals as the Federation back in the Alpha Quadrant. Shore leave becomes the most popular activity by the Voyager crew.
> 
> Kathryn really needs to learn to read the Tour manual which the Doctor compiled for her but how bad can ignoring it be?

Captain Janeway slowly tried to open her eyes but they felt heavy as if they were made of lead blanket material. Her head was throbbing in time with the beating of her heart. It was as if she was run over by a pack of wolves. She tried to sit up but quickly lay down again when her headache hammered her hard almost causing her to blackout. Kathryn lay back down again and closed her eyes. Her mouth was as dry as the Vulcan desert she once visited with her Old Friend, Tuvok.

"Seven? Where are you?" Janeway called out hoarsely. She was sure she was dying and she wanted to see Seven one last time. The `dying` woman prepared a speech which she wanted to tell Seven before she met her Maker. Slowly Janeway remembered the previous day`s events, that they made a successful First Contact with a technologically advanced race of humanoids. She also vaguely remembered that she and her astrometrics officer beamed over to the aliens` ship where the friendly crew accommodated them, that she drank a lot of alcoholic beverages with the alien captain. Then she stumbled back home in the dead of night then her astrometrics officer may have helped her undress and get ready for bed.

"Undress? Oh my god. Seven saw me naked!" Janeway panicked. "Did i do anything stupid to her? I need to apologize." Kathryn thought to herself.

 

Seven of Nine slept in the captain`s bed as requested by the drunk Janeway the previous night. She woke up after two point three hours then sat up beside the the slumbering Kathryn. She stared longingly at the classical features on the captain`s face. She seemed so relaxed and beautiful but Seven wished Kathryn was awake so they could have a philosophical discussion. Maybe they could talk about their friendship which was a bit confusing to Seven at the moment. She felt so much more than a friend should feel for another. She wanted to hear Kathryn`s views on their friendship.

 

The ex drone carefully got up, trying not to wake the sleeping woman up. She noted that the time was 03:00. She went to the en suite, had a sonic shower and other ablutions. Then she went to the kitchenette and prepared breakfast for Kathryn. Coffee, blue berry pancakes and slices of fruit. She had a bowl of cereal and set to work on the slip stream engine equations on the captain`s computer in the outer room. At 05:00 hours Seven of Nine`s enhanced hearing picked up a hoarse sound, a voice calling out her name. She quickly got up and rushed to Janeway`s bedroom where she saw Kathryn curled up in foetal position.

"Captain, are you well?"

"Is that a trick question? I have a headache the size of the Delta Quadrant. I am dying, Seven but before i do i need to tell you something. I have loved you for a very long time. It`s a shame that i haven`t been able to tell you before today. It has been a constant struggle to keep everything in. When i see your beautiful face look at me, challenging me, your red kissable lips as you talk, it all make something rise within me, something which makes me feel like a real woman. Only you make me feel that way, Seven, Annika. What i am trying to say is that i love you, Seven of Nine, Annika. Please know that." Then she lay back down and closed her eyes.

 

It came as no surprise to Seven that the captain loved her because she felt the same way. She knew deep down that she belonged with Kathryn and Kathryn belonged with her. They just needed to confess to each other. Seven knew that Janeway was unwell, she was suffering from extreme hangover. So the young woman discreetly injected the captain with a hypo spray she replicated from the captain`s replicator. Janeway was too ill to notice the mild sting of the hypo spray or the hissing sound. Seven left the bedroom and returned to work on the slip stream project. 

 

Slowly Janeway opened her eyes again. This time they felt near normal not as heavy as before. The time on the chronometer read 05:10. She sat up and found out that the headache was almost gone. She smiled when she saw her stasis on the night stand. She joyfully reached for it and took off the stasis lid. Her nostrils were greeted by a welcoming aroma of fresh hot black coffee. As she took the first sip her mind went off on a tangent. She imagined she and Seven were married and lived happily together. Slowly her memories returned to her. Then she remembered her near death speech to Seven. She choked on her coffee and splattered when she remembered what she said to the young woman. 

 

The ex drone heard coughing and splattering sounds coming from the bedroom so she rushed in to investigate. She found Janeway trying to catch her breath. After she calmed down Kathryn would not look at Seven in the eye. Seven`s heart sank as she had a vague feeling of something unpleasant, akin to sadness.

"Uh, Seven? Did i say anything inappropriate to you last night? Please i need to know. I am really sorry if i did but i would like you to tell me what i exactly said to you." Kathryn said. She was still unable to look Seven in the eye.

"Captain, everything you told me was accurate and no you have not acted inappropriately toward me in any way. I am grateful for whatever you said because i also have these feelings for you. Thank you for loving me, Kathryn Janeway." Seven reached forward and planted a chaste kiss on the captain`s cheek.

"You are welcome, Seven." The two women stared at each other for a few seconds then Seven left for cargo bay to regenerate leaving a dazed Janeway.

 

It was a busy day on Voyager as crew secured their stations in preparation for shore leave. The captain encouraged everyone to go on leave. Chakotay, her first officer, made a rota for shore leave. A skeleton crew was to man the ship while it received a complete overhaul at Palabulon 1 space station.

 

The chancellor of Ballyne city officially welcomes the crew. There was a brief speech by the tourism minister then the crew dispersed. Janeway never really knew where everyone went. She took Seven with her to go sightseeing. The hover car driver smiled at the Voyager`s captain and her astrometrics officer.

"Captain, is this your bonded one?" Janeway opened her mouth to reply but Seven beat her to it.

"We are in the process of sorting things out." Seven said.

"I see. Congratulations to you both. There are many places for joined and bonded couples to go and have a good time. There`s the Waterfall of Pleasure if you want abundance of blessings in you lives as bonded or joined people. Or the Pleasure Island if you are planning on having offspring. Then there is the Shrine of the High Priestess where you meditate as a couple. The Priestess says a special prayer unique to you as a couple then proclaims a blessing by anointing holy fragrance oil on your heads. It is rumoured that the oil has aphrodisiac properties which turns the lead partner into a voracious seeding partner." Jayne, their tour guide said by means of explanation.

"Voracious seeding partner? Explain." Seven said while Janeway tried hard to keep herself from laughing.

"Bedroom activities, partner things?" Jayne got tongue tied. Janeway could not keep the laughter in any longer. She burst out laughing and Jayne joined in but the reserved Seven only smiled a tiny bit.

 

Soon they all calmed down then Janeway decided to ask Seven where she wanted to go.

"Seven, where shall we go?"

"The Pleasure Island, please?" The young woman said eagerly causing Janeway to blush. 

"A good choice, Seven." The tour guide said approvingly and went on operating the vehicle while Janeway blushed. She looked down below the busy streets then at other hover cars along their own. People smiled at them. It seemed news about their arrival had spread all over the planet.

"Me and my big mouth." Janeway thought to herself. "I had to ask her to choose where to go. What`s wrong with me?" She chastised herself but when she looked beside her and saw a genuine smile on the young woman`s face, her heart melted with tenderness for the young woman. She realized that she truly loved this woman and she could not refuse her anything.

"May i say something about the Pleasure Island, captain, Seven?"

"Yes?" Janeway said cautiously.

"Once you get there you will find a lot of people with similar goals as yours. There will be a lot of intoxication and fun activities going on there. Captain you will have to hold on to your female tightly."

"My female." Janeway said to herself and smiled.

"Very well, Jayne. Thank you for your helpful advice. I will hold on to my female with all my heart." She reached her hand towards Seven and laced their fingers together. Seven was surprised at Kathryn`s public display of affection. She loved this side of the redhead.

 

The trio walked amidst a sea of scantily clad bonded and joined couples. Most of them smiled at the aliens among them. Janeway perched herself at a bar stool on the beach. She ordered an orange drink for Seven and a blue one for herself.

"A good choice, captain. This blue drink helps with the seeding process but i think it is just a myth, captain." Janeway raised an eye brow at the guide and took a sip at her drink. She did not believe in myths. She was a woman of science after all. Seven`s eye brow almost crawled off her face when she saw how Janeway had chugged her drink in record time and had ordered a second bottle of blue drink. Jayne leaned forward towards Seven to whisper in her ear.

"You are in for a rough time, my friend and i mean it in a good way. Your captain seems like a female with a voracious appetite. Am i correct?" She smiled at the blonde woman. Seven`s response was to raise a sexy eye brow. The ex drone had read the Tour manual. She knew exactly what she was getting into. She knew that Janeway had not read the manual. The Borg wanted to have fun she did not want to think of consequences of what may happen on this day. 

"Captain Janeway just call this number when you are ready to return to the city." Jayne said and returned to Ballyne city leaving Janeway and Seven on the Pleasure Island.

"So Seven. Where shall we go?"

"We could go and see the sea or retire to the rooms?" Kathryn walked alongside her astrometrics officer, firmly holding her hand. She was feeling unusually amorous. She convinced herself that it was an effect of the lovely sea breeze and outdoor life.

 

As the captain and Seven walked past a pink building someone called out to them. A pair of familiar faces came into view as Tal Celes and Susan Nicoletti approached the captain. Janeway`s eye brows crawled to her hairline when she noted her two officers holding hands. `Why the hell am i even surprised at my two officers having fun? What is wrong with me?`

"Hello captain, Seven? We were just browsing items in the store but now we are heading off to the sea. See you later, captain, Seven." Then they were off down the sandy beach and disappeared in the crowds. Janeway shook he head.

"Seven, did you know that those two were, uh, involved?"

"Yes, captain."

"Why do you keep calling me captain?"

"Because you are my captain."

"Oh." Janeway said. Her mouth felt dry. Suddenly she wanted to be alone with Seven. There were things she needed to tell her or perhaps do with her.

"Let us go and see what`s in the pink store. They walked hand in hand towards the store. It turned out to be a sex shop. Janeway briefly wondered what Nicoletti and Celes had bought in the store then she abandoned the thought. She decided that she did not want to know what her officers did in their off duty times as long as their activities were healthy and made them productive crew members. 

 

Janeway walked along rows upon rows of small bullet like gadgets in different colours. They were about ten to fifteen centimetres long and fitted in one`s palm. Another section had leather like materials, hand cuffs, high heeled shoes, belts, whips and costumes of all sorts. On another shelf there were all sorts of lubricants both flavoured and un flavoured. Kathryn felt her face warming up with a blush then she wondered why the hell was she behaving like a prude. She looked around and saw a sales person who quickly came to her side.

"I would like to purchase this item and that one. How do i go about with it. I am not familiar with your currency. The female smiled at Janeway approvingly and counted the required currency for her and gave the captain some change back. Janeway thanked her and went to join Seven who was sitting on a bench perusing a magazine like book. When Janeway approached her she noted that it was a manual of a sex toy Janeway had purchased.

"So you`re reading an instruction manual?"

"Yes, ca.. i mean Kathryn."

 

They walked some more until they got tired but Seven insisted that they rested in one of the many rest houses on the island instead of returning to the city. They walked up the stairs of the elegant looking building. It was inviting. The keeper escorted them to a medium sized cozy room. Janeway threw herself on the large queen size bed. Seven watched in amusement as Kathryn bounced herself up and down several times.

"Join me?" Kathryn said as she sat up. She had an intense look on her face, one which caused Seven to swallow hard and shiver. She was both excited and terrified. She was excited that the captain was sober and had not regretted her new relationship with her astrometrics officer. She was terrified as she had never had sex with anyone before.

 

Captain Janeway sat up on the bed and slowly reached both hands to cup the young woman`s face.

"Seven, i am terrified of what i am about to do. I have never done this before, loving a woman. I guess we will both learn from each other.

"Yes, captain."

 

Janeway reached closer to the other woman until their visions were blurred due to their proximity. Seven kissed Kathryn`s lower lip. She felt Janeway reciprocate enthusiastically.

"I want to see you naked, my love. Is that ok with you?"

"Yes." Seven said simply.

 

Kathryn slowly undressed Seven peeling layers of clothes. She kissed each exposed area of the young woman. Seven was bombarded with all sorts of lovely sensations. Seven stopped analyzing her reactions to Kathryn`s touch when she felt a hand gently squeeze her breast. This was arousing to the young Borg so she arched her back towards the invading fingers. Janeway was now hovering over the young woman. They kissed again hotly until they had to stop to breathe.

"Sweetheart, you are so beautiful." Kathryn said as she traced her finger tips all over Seven`s chest. She smiled when she saw goose bumps erupt all over. Janeway reached down and took a plump nipple into her mouth and lightly sucked on it. She continued doing this for a while while the other hand traced its way down the lanky body. Down it went until it reached the juncture between Seven`s legs. Seven parted her legs while the captain found the wellspring which brought pleasure to the young woman.

 

Kathryn Janeway undid the zipper of her trousers and lay over the reclining woman. She angled her hips so that she was directly over the young woman`s pleasure centre. Kathryn slowly descended onto the other woman until she felt Seven pulling her hips toward her. The activity forced her to enter the young woman in one swift motion.

"Unnnh!" Seven cried out while Janeway moaned at the delicious sensation. She felt moisture coming out in copious amounts and seep through the phallus she wore at her hips. Sensors in it made it possible to sense her lover clearly. 

"Are you ok, Sweetheart?" She panted in the young woman`s ear while nuzzling it. She felt Seven shiver and start to thrust her hips up towards Janeway. Kathryn felt Seven`s grip at her waist tighten. So she thrusted and pounded into Seven while rolling her hips deliciously. She felt her own orgasm approaching. 

"Kathryn, please do not stop." She heard Seven calling out in a frenzy.

"I won`t. Tell me what else do you want. More of this?" She thrusted some more. "Or this?" She rolled her hips from side to side.

"Everything." The young woman said silently. It was clear to Janeway that Seven enjoyed this activity so much. Kathryn began to thrust and pound into Seven with short quick jabs as her hips moved at an incredibly fast pace.

"Uhhh! uhh! i think i`m going to...going to...Oh Seven, my beautiful Seven." With that Seven moved to meet every one of Kathryn`s fast thrusts until the young woman felt her muscles closing in on the probe rhythmically for a few long seconds. Kathryn soon followed her lover into the blissful moment of an intense orgasm. Copious offerings of her excitement poured into Seven`s channel. When Janeway tried to move away from the young woman, she was stopped by Seven.

"No, Kathryn. Stay on top of me a while longer." The young woman panted. She wanted all of Kathryn`s seeds to go into her channel. She loved this feeling and she knew that she would relive this moment for a very long time.

 

Finally the women got up and got dressed to leave. Janeway called the number Jayne gave her earlier that day. The guide arrived promptly and took the couple back into the city. She noted that the couple sat quietly next to each other sharing shy smiles every so often and holding hands. Jayne knew that something profound had happened between them and she did not want to break the spell. She remained silent and only announced their arrival to the city and to their assigned place of residence. There was going to be a party in the Voyager crew`s honour so the two women decided to have a quick shower before attending.

 

As Kathryn sat in the spacious bedroom while waiting for her lover to finish having a sonic shower, reality came crushing on her.

"What have i done?" She doubted her reasoning then she realized that there was absolutely no way of changing things now. She will have to live with whatever consequences. She quashed the negative thought and concentrated on more pleasant thoughts, such as the one where she was lying on top of her lover pounding mercilessly into her and bringing her immense pleasure on Pleasure Island.

 

Janeway saw the Doctor`s manual lying on the bed. She remember hearing the Doctor offering it to her and stressed that she read it. Now she opened to the page full of pictures of food items and drinks. A familiar drink caught her attention, a sort of rare blue wine made from the moon flower, believed to have aphrodisiac properties and make the seed partner fertile and capable of causing pregnancy. Her heart started to beat fast when she read further to note that all the signs she felt during her joining with Seven were expected as a result of drinking the special brew. She had questions for her lover.

 

Seven had finished her shower and walked out of the bathroom to join her lover on the bed. She hesitated a bit when she saw grey eyes looking up at her. Seven`s heart sank.

"Seven, what do you know about the blue drink i had?"

"Kathryn?"

"You know exactly what i am saying." Janeway said harshly. When she noted her lover wincing Kathryn softened her voice. She did not want to ruin what they shared. She realized that she was terrified of the consequences of their joining. Seven could become pregnant. When that happens what will she do? Is she ready to be a parent and a star ship captain? Janeway was terrified.

"Kathryn i do not know what you are asking of me but i can tell you one thing. I love you with all my heart. What we shared on the island is sacred and divine to me but if you choose to belittle what we shared that is your choice." Seven said in a quiet voice causing Janeway to feel like she was the most terrible monster in the quadrant.

"I am sorry, Sweetheart. I did not think before i spoke. Will you forgive me? Whatever consequences there may be we will face them together."

"Promise?" Seven asked in a small timid voice.

"I promise." Kathryn said and kissed Seven briefly on the lips.


	3. Of cousins and discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janeway discovers a fascinating fact about the technologically advanced aliens. She also discovers a fascinating fact about her personal situation.

"Computer, activate the Emergency Medical Hologram." Seven of Nine said as she walked into sick bay.

"Please state the nature of the emergency." The EMH appeared out of thin air right in front of the young woman. She placed her hands behind her back and took a deep breath.

"How can i help you, Seven? Is the captain hurt? Are you damaged?" The holo doctor said as he looked around sick bay then at the empty bio beds expecting to see a bleeding Janeway lying on one of them.

"There is no physical emergency, Doctor and no the Captain is well. She is on the planet and has been invited to captain Prisca Neret and her spouse Matisse`s residence in the city of Ballyne."

"...and you? Why are you here. Is something wrong with your implants?" The EMH was getting concerned at the young woman`s uncharacteristic nervousness. "What do you mean by there is no physical emergency? 

"I, uh, Doctor. You must examine me.." The nervous young woman said. The EMH`s concern for his friend was growing so he asked her to lie on the nearest bio bed and activated the overhead scanner and read out the results silently. His head snapped up then he went back to re scan Seven`s abdominal area while the ex drone patiently tolerated the physical exam. She saw the Doctor take out his medical tricorder and waved it over her abdomen a few times and looked at the tiny screen. He could not believe his holographic eyes at what he saw on both the overhead scan and the tricorder findings. He looked at the young woman patiently tolerating his probes and scans.

"Seven, have you been having your uh, monthly cycles?"

"Yes. Why?"

"When you first came on board four years ago and i removed most of your implants i thought the Borg took away all of your reproductive organs. I clearly remember not seeing any reproductive organs. So my question is how is this possible?"

"How is what possible, Doctor?" Seven wanted to know. She had a very good idea of what of going on but she wanted the Doctor to confirm it.

"How did you ever have monthly cycles and how are you now pregnant without a uterus and ovaries?" 

 

Seven was now sitting up on the bio bed her legs gently swinging from side to side with her lips curled up at the corners in a small smile.

"The Borg do not remove youngsters` reproductive organs during the process of assimilation. The organs are merely pushed aside in the abdominal cavity and preserved. The young require hormones produced by these organs for their growth. The maturation chambers they are placed in merely enhance the children`s physical growth. I was assimilated at age six it is unlikely they removed any of my organs, Doctor."

"I see. That explains why you developed all the secondary sex characteristics such as breasts, pubic hair, hip development and a monthly cycle. It seems i still have a lot to learn about the process of assimilation." The Doctor said with scientific fascination while Seven raised an eye brow.

"So, i suppose you would like to know what is going on? Well, you have a forty eight hour old embryo growing within you. Watch the screen." He got Seven to lie on the bio bed again and activated the overhead scanner. Seven saw a few lumps of cells rapidly dancing around each other and increasing in size. She immediately fell in love with the cells and smiled to herself.

"Congratulations, Seven. You are pregnant." He smiled and gently touched her abdomen. Seven sat up again and looked at the Doctor.

"So who is the lucky man? I never thought you would be interested in forming a relationship yet let alone have sexual relations."

"The individual responsible for my pregnancy is not on board at present." Seven replied cryptically. She stood up and thanked the Doctor.

"Visit me again in a couple of days. I would like to do a genetic scan and other routine checks relevant at this time of fetal development."

"She is a baby, Doctor. Not a `fetus.`" Seven leveled ice blue gaze at him which caused him to hesitate.

"Of course, Seven. I am sorry but how do you know it is a girl?"

"I just do." The Borg woman said and walked out of sick bay. `She had to inform the captain of the news. She had to find suitable material to read about newborn babies, clothes, baby food and oh, was she going to breastfeed the baby? Is Kathryn going to assist her? She did not seem to be sure about their relationship. Did she do the right thing? She knew the consequences of the blue drink because she read the tour manual but Kathryn did not. Oh, what does she do now?` The young woman had a million scenarios and questions going through her head. She walked to deck eight where cargo bay two was located and her alcove. She needed to regenerate to bring some order to the chaos she felt within. Then she will have a clear mind to talk to Kathryn logically.

 

Janeway sat on the comfortable sofa in the Neret residence. Prisca sat at her side regaling Voyager`s captain with colourful accounts of old war stories from the three worlds. They drank whisky, ate snacks, laughed and wondered at the similarities of their world affairs. Janeway was pleasantly surprised to know that the Palabuloners and the other worlds` inhabitants were connected to Terrans when Prisca told one very familiar story of alien abduction in the year 1937 on Earth. Aliens abducted people from Earth and brought them in the Delta Quadrant. Some were left where Voyager found Amelia Earhart. Others were taken all the way to Palabulon, Malabulon and Chalabulon. Only females were taken to these lands so the aliens worked out a way of maintaining their slaves species. Parthenogenesis was the solution and the three planets have thrived ever since. Nobody knows who the aliens who brought them was. Some Palabulon historians believe that it may have been the Borg before the Queen turned evil and selfish. Janeway also discovered that these new allies spoke English, a fact which her pilot Ensign Chloe Draper picked up three days prior.

"Seven of Nine to Kathryn." Janeway heard a call through her comm badge.

"Kathryn here, Seven. Where are you?"

"I...would like to speak with you whenever you have some time. It is urgent but not life threatening..." Seven sounded nervous and unsure to Janeway.

"Where are you, Seven?"

"In cargo bay two." 

"Are you going to regenerate?"

"No, i have just completed my cycle."

"OK. Go to my quarters and i will meet you there shortly."

"Very well." Janeway terminated the comm.

 

She sighed and rubbed her eye brow in a nervous gesture. She thanked her hostesses and returned to her ship to meet Seven. She walked into her quarters to find Seven stretched on the couch dozing off and wondered if the young woman was alright. Janeway came to sit at the woman`s side and stroked the blonde tresses.

"How are you, Darling?" She said softly.

"I do not know." Seven replied timidly in a very uncharacteristic way.

"Shall i call the Doctor?" Janeway`s concern was growing.

"I have already been to sick bay. Everything is fine. I am just afraid of the way you might react to what i am going to tell you."

"Go on.." Janeway encouraged. She continued to gently stroke the young woman`s hair and waited. Her heart pounded in her chest as different scenarios passed through her mind at warp speed. Was Seven going to tell her that their new personal relationship was over? Was she going to be told that these new allies were nothing but a deception? Was there another spy on Voyager? She thought Seska was the only spy on board. She took a deep breath and waited some more. Then she heard Seven take a deep breath in then exhale it slowly. Then she sat up next to Janeway.

"Please tell me, Darling. It`s killing me when you drag it this long." Janeway complained.

"You have to promise that you will not harm me in any way if you will not like what i tell you." Seven said dryly. In reality she was terrified but tried hard to conceal her nervousness.

"I promise not to harm my girlfriend." Janeway raised her right hand as she said the oath.

"I am 48 hours old pregnant. I am both happy and terrified." Seven said and threw herself in Kathryn`s lap. It took Kathryn ten point six seconds to react then Seven felt a weight on top of her.

"Kathryn? Kathryn? Wake up!" The Borg woman sat up and shook her girlfriend to wake her up. It seemed she had fainted.

"Seven to the Doctor. Medical emergency in the captain`s quarters." As soon as Seven finished speaking the EMH materialized in front of her and pulled out a hypo spray from his med kit. He injected its contents into Janeway`s neck and stood back, waiting.

 

The captain`s eyes fluttered then opened. She was lying on the couch. The Doctor and Seven stood looking down at her.

"What happened?" She asked groggily.

"You fell, unconscious. So i take it that she is the individual responsible for the situation, Seven? Well, congratulations captain. Your mate is pregnant." He smiled at Janeway and de materialized from the captain`s quarters.

 

Kathryn Janeway sat on the couch next to her friend, girlfriend, astrometrics officer and now the mother of her unborn child. It all happened so quickly and she was trying hard to take things on board as quickly as she could.

"I have to read up on new born babies, find out about baby food, get a comfortable place for Seven and oh are we going to breastfeed the baby?" Janeway panicked but she remembered one thing that together they will work things out. Seven waited with baited breath. Finally she felt Kathryn embrace her in a tight hug and kissed her on the forehead. She then pushed the young woman`s head into her lap and reached down to kiss her soundly on the mouth. What started as one kiss was dragged into long and sensuous kisses which made Seven`s toes curl and Janeway`s fire light up within her.

"Congratulations, my Darling." Janeway`s smile was so bright it lit up the whole room. Seven sighed happily in her lover`s arms.

"Annika. Bedroom. Now." Kathryn commanded after moments of delicious kissing.

"Yes, Kathryn."


	4. Banter and gossips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> News of Seven`s pregnancy travels at warp speed.

"So, Seven we`re pregnant? I can`t believe this is happening. I mean all we did was have some fun. You did enjoy that, didn`t you?" Kathryn said as she sat up in bed and was gently stroking the young woman`s hair. She was leaning against the head board surrounded by a multitude of pillows. The headboard now boasted two dents caused by her girlfriend. Kathryn discovered that when her lover was in the throes of passion she tended to lose control of her left hand implant. So the young woman gripped the titanium headboard and let it suffer the consequences of her passion and enthusiasm as she squeezed the life out of it. Seven had been completely ravaged by Janeway. She now lay on her side, naked and completely exhausted with her head in Kathryn`s lap. The stroking on her head and just listening to Kathryn talk made her feel safe and secure. She was drowsy but loved the attentions Janeway gave her so she tried very hard to stay awake.

"You underestimate your powers, my Kathryn. You are a force to be reckoned with." The young woman said in an uncharacteristic sleepy voice. Kathryn felt goosebumps erupt on her arms. A strong surge of arousal hit her by just hearing her lover talk. She remembered the same quiet tone of voice desperately begging her for more stimulation during their activities. Janeway felt her clit twitch. She shifted her weight to ease the pressure rapidly building up within her. 

 

Seven of Nine felt Kathryn stiffen. She knew it was an unconscious reaction to a strong impulse so she sat up.

"Kathryn, what is wrong?"

"Oh, nothing is wrong but if i stay here longer i`m afraid i am not going to let you rest and that is not good for the baby." The captain said and got out of bed. She reached for the covers and gently laid them over the nude form of the blonde. Seven opened her mouth to say something, thought better of it and closed it again. She smiled at Kathryn`s back as she went to the bathroom. A few moments later she re emerged wearing a white t shirt, dark pair blue jeans and white trainers. Her hair was done up in a pony tail. She looked towards the bed and saw that her lover had disappeared under the covers and had fallen asleep.

 

The time was 17:30 when Janeway left her quarters for Engineering. She found B`Elanna Torres, in uniform, heatedly exchanging ideas with one of the Palabulon engineers. So Kathryn left them to their arguing and went to the upper level. She found Susan Nicoletti busily tapping at a console, entering data.

"Hello, Lieutenant Nicoletti. Did you enjoy yourself at the Pleasure Island?" Kathryn was not surprised to see the woman blush but she seemed to quickly recover.

"Oh yes, captain. I did. When we left you and Seven we went straight to the sea and jumped in. The beaches are so beautiful here it felt almost like home."

"Don`t get any ideas now, Lieutenant. I need you here in Engineering. I need you all if we are to get home succesfully."

"Yes, captain. Speaking of enjoyment at the island did you have fun?" Nicoletti was intrigued to see a faint blush on Janeway`s features but the captain chose to ignore it.

"Yes, i did. Or i should say we did. In fact Seven and i are expecting a baby." Janeway smiled at her officer. It took a few seconds for Nicoletti to figure that out. Then suddenly Janeway found herself engulfed in a bear hug and surrounded by a sea of gold uniformed engineering staff and Palabulon engineers with broad smiles on their faces. 

"Congratulations, Captain. I won!" Nicoletti said. She held on to the captain a few more seconds then released her.

"Thank you, Susan. Uh, what did you win?" Janeway was curious. Nicoletti looked around the nearly full lower deck of the warp core section and hesitated. Then she decided to just come out and say it.

"A bet Celes and i made when we saw you and Seven at the island. You don`t want to know what we bet on, captain. It would be an act of insubordination." The dark haired woman said seriously. Janeway looked down briefly then back up at the playful Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant, thank you for not blowing my secret. Carry on." Then she turned to B`Elanna Torres, who had stopped arguing with her colleague. Torres was now standing close to Janeway patiently waiting for the captain to finish talking to Nicoleti.

"Captain, where is that P`taq Seven. She must explain why she chose to hide this vital piece of good news from her friend? Congratulations." She smiled at Janeway revealing pointed teeth.

"I will tell her, Lieutenant Torres." Janeway laughed and left Engineering.

 

She proceeded to the bridge where she found her Old Friend Tuvok manning the bridge with two lower deck crew men. He stood from the captain`s chair when Janeway entered the bridge.

"Report."

"Engineering reports that they have almost completed re aligning the new space folding drive into our systems. Tomorrow they are going to do simulations. Hydroponics bay has collected enough food supplies and seedlings, our food storage supply has been replenished, The Doctor has gone to attend a symposium on Infant Development and Space Travel on Chalabulon 3." He paused then he looked around and back at the captain. "May i take this opportunity to congratulate you on recent events." Janeway had a lop sided smile.

"Recent events, Old Friend? Come on it`s only a baby and i can totally handle things." Janeway rolled her eyes. Tuvok detected her unease so he whispered to her.

"Remember captain. I am a father of four children. I believe i qualify as a sounding board should you require one." Janeway looked at him and started laughing. The dusky security chief waited patiently for Janeway to finish laughing because Vulcans have no sense of humour. "Old Friend? That was not funny at all and i did not laugh." Janeway looked at the two crew men `busily` tapping at their consoles.

"No, Ma`am." They said in unison and tried hard to conceal their mirth. When Janeway had gone to the ready room to catch up on some paperwork and speak with her friend, Captain Prisca Neret, Crewman Larsson spoke up.

"Commander Tuvok, you and the captain should perform at the monthly Variety Show next month."

"I think not, Crewman Larsson.

"Yes, sir. Sorry sir." The crewman said while his colleague crewman Agnes Perry laughed out loud. 

 

Captain Janeway sat at her console in the ready room. She activated it and connected it to the Neret Residence.

"How can i help you, my friend? You look tired." The handsome face of the Violea captain filled the screen.

"Uh, i`m sorry to bother you i can call later. Were you sleeping?" Neret grinned knowingly at Janeway.

"No, my friend. Congratulations, by the way. You`ve got a nice healthy female right there. I knew you would find a way to her heart. You seem like you had a good time on the island."

"Thank you, Prisca. We had a good time there. Your world is beautiful, just like its people. Do you think your leaders will want to agree on forming an alliance with the United Federation of Planets?"

"I hope so. You and i travel a lot. We know how important it is to have allies. I hear that the Communications Minister and the Tourism representatives from Malabulon 2 and Chalabulon 3 have been invited. If they explain clearly and precisely about the importance of having allies the central government may want to give the Federation idea a go. As for me i am all for an alliance with your Federation. I would find any excuse to visit you when you get home." The captain finished cheerfully. Janeway terminated the link. She sat back and thought of the events of the last few days. She liked captain Neret so much. She was like an elder sister she never had. She noticed that Neret said `when Voyager gets home` and not `if Voyager gets home.` That gave Janeway a renewed sense of hope. For now she needed to get back home. Home to her girlfriend and mother of their unborn baby.

 

Tom Paris and Neelix were at Sandrine`s playing Pool. He had been tweaking the program and had added a few new characters and removed the annoying old one which B`Elanna had called a `pig` a few years ago. He had added one female hologram who suspiciously looked like one of the young women from Palabulon 1 who was working with Torres in Engineering. Neelix shook his head in disapproval.

"Tom, i don`t think this is a good idea. This hologram is based on a real person. It`s unethical." Neelix reasoned with his friend.

"I won`t tell if you won`t." Tom said simply so Neelix kept quiet and went behind the counter to help Sandrine serve customers. Sandrine started to flirt with him. Neelix was flattered at first but but when things took a weird turn, and Sandrine wanted to bite him on the ear, he decided to leave the holodeck and returned to Voyager`s mess hall. The last few days he has had very little to do. Most of Voyager`s crew ate their meals either on the planet, from their replicators due to unlimited energy supply from the space station or at the endless parties and picnics they were invited on various locations on the planet.

 

Seven of Nine woke up and looked at the chronometer. The time was 18:30 hours. She looked under the covers to find that she was naked. Seven smiled to herself at the memory of what happened a few hours ago. Something caught her eye on the headboard. Two dents were seen. She brought a hand to her mouth when she realized that she was responsible for causing them.

"Kathryn will not be pleased. I must fix it. Where is Kathryn?" She asked herself. Seven quickly put on her clothes and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Then she reached for her comm badge.

"Seven to the captain?"

"Janeway here. I`m on my way home. Are you there?"

"Yes, captain." Janeway rolled her eyes at hearing the word `captain.` If she thought about it though, the word captain said by Seven at certain times could be very arousing. Kathryn shook her head and smiled.

"I`ll see you in a few minutes. Kathryn out." She terminated the link.

 

Kathryn walked in to the hydroponics bay. She looked around at the flower section. The area was full of colourful flowers and the fragrance was pleasing to the senses. An ensign found her sniffing at a yellow rose. She congratulated the captain on the current events. 

"Do you like that one, captain? A good choice. Let me pluck it you for you." She quickly and efficiently got the rose and gave it to Janeway who thanked her and left for her quarters.

"Thank you, Ensign Janus." Janus was surprised the captain knew her name. If Janeway had looked back she would have seen a brilliant smile on Janus` face.

 

She walked into her quarters and saw the woman of her dreams preparing dinner in the kitchenette. She walked to her while hiding the roe behind her back. She kissed Seven on the cheek and gave her the rose.

"You are my sunshine, Darling, and also my friend. I love you so much." Then she turned her gaze to the plasma stove. "What are you cooking?" Seven took the rose and sniffed it. She went to the replicator and got a vase in which she placed the single yellow rose with some water.

"Thank you, my Kathryn." She kissed Janeway on the cheek. "I am cooking a Palabulon 1 dish. It is a stew of mixed vegetables but i have altered it a bit to add some of your favourite foods like mash potato and green peas with beef substitute."

"It looks lovely. What`s for dessert?"

"I will let you choose dessert." Suddenly Janeway felt like the environmental system had malfunctioned. It was hot. That was unlikely, however, considering they had unlimited energy supply provided by the space station. So she mentally ruled that out and thought of other reasons. Pleasant other reasons.


	5. Negotiations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janeway officially proposes an alliance between the United Federation of Planets with the advanced races of Palabulon 1, Malabulon 2 and Chalabulon 3. She finds her diplomatic skills pushed to the limit. Things take a tricky turn when her personal situation jeopardizes the delicate negotiations.
> 
> Seven drinks coffee.
> 
> I hate negotiations but this one is relevant to the story plot, so here ya go!

"The United Federations of Planets was founded in the year 2161 as you have seen from the virtual map displayed in front of your consoles. It currently consists of one hundred and fifty members all united under one central governing body. They share scientific knowledge and exchange ideas both cultural and scientific and everything in between. Starfleet is the centre of research where Federation minds are shared, studied, scrutinized and practised. We have a fleet of star ships of all kinds from research, air hospitals to cruise ships and prototypes." Janeway deliberately left out mentioning war ships. She did not feel it relevant at this point to mention hostility while she was selling the advantages of the United Federation of Planets to these advanced aliens and possible allies. Her diplomatic skills told her that one never started a persuasive speech with war tactics or war science. 

 

Captain Kathryn Janeway paused and looked around the fully packed lecture theatre. She was standing at a podium with a virtual map of the UFP displayed in front of her. She noted that about three quarters of the delegates were looking at her with interest and were nodding their heads in approval to whatever she said. Chancellor Lisa Bennett of Ballyne City stood from her seat. She touched the UFP`s virtual map displayed from her own console and pointed at Earth. The green outline rearranged itself and brought the focus on the planet Earth. She looked at Janeway and smiled.

"Captain Janeway of the USS Voyager and a representative of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, i absolutely love your presentation of your Federation. It makes me want to jump on a transport ship right now and head off to the Alpha Quadrant." The crowd laughed and there was a few excited murmurs in the room as people were taken in to the conversation. Then all went quiet again when the Chancellor continued to speak.  
"...but i will be remiss of my duties if i do that. I am sure the Defence Minister who overlooks the extension of the perimeter grids will have a few questions for you. If she is convinced then we will be good to go. I now present to you Minister Marie Carole Aitken of the Palabulon 1, Malabulon 2 and Chalabulon 3 Alliance Perimeter Defence Grid Systems." Janeway saw a tall, intimidating, stone faced muscular blonde woman, who reminded Kathryn of an Amazon, stand up from her seat. She was the embodiment of `iron lady.` All what was needed to complete the Amazonian look was a spear or a bow and arrow in her hand. The Voyager captain was brought out of her amusing imagination when she heard the Minister clear her throat and start to speak.

"Captain Janeway, you have spoken quite clearly of your United Federation of Planets. It sounds peaceful and intriguing. However, i have a few queries or concerns, if you will. You have spoken of the good things about the Federation. We seem to share an affinity for knowledge, tolerance existence and inclusion. However i have also read of your violent past and powerful enemies such as the Borg invading your Federation. In fact you have a Borg drone on your very ship. I would like a clarification on how you came about to have a potential enemy on your ship. Do you think that one day she will sell you all to the Borg? Supposing we join the Federation and we share technology, then we get assimilated, the Borg will possess all our combined knowledge and they will be an invincible cybernetic race. No one in the known universe will be able to defeat them and what would become of us?" The Voyager captain felt as if she had just been splashed with ice cold water across the face. She felt anger rise from deep within her. Nobody called her beloved woman a Borg drone. She took a deep breath in to calm herself down. When she looked up again her brief anger and irrationality was replaced by reasoning again. She reminded herself that this was an advanced race who were simply trying to understand their potential ally whom they had never heard of before and were willing to share their space folding technology with her even before they heard of the UFP. Captain Janeway smiled at the stone faced Defense Minister and cleared her throat.

"Minister Aitken of the house of Aitken, i am honoured to stand here before you to present the facts and dangers i and my crew have faced as we traversed through this quadrant in our attempt to get back home to Earth. We are a resilient and resourceful people. I believe you have read our reports both classified and unclassified, of all the enemies we have come across and the detailed descriptions of our weapon use. My greatest weapon is diplomacy. I start by reasoning with our potential enemy before we engage in fight. If they are reasonable enough we avoid fighting this way. Ninety per cent of the time this method works. Unfortunately things seem a little different in this quadrant. We have only managed to make very few friends out here i could count them on one hand. I still cannot believe that i am standing here, before you, to also know that that you are our cousins brings a renewed hope in me and my crew. All i ask of you is to let us prove what i have claimed to you, to show you what we are truly made of. As for Seven of Nine, she is human. Her name is Annika Hansen who was born in Tendara colony, one of the Federation out posts. She was assimilated as a six year old child as she traveled with her parents to study the Borg. We have used the same knowledge from the Hansen`s research to defeat the Borg twice before. We are willing to share this information with you if you would like." She once again heard excited murmurs. Captain Janeway walked back to her seat and turned off the virtual display in front of her. She looked up at the Defence Minister who had taken her place where Janeway was talking, at the podium.

"Captain Janeway you have managed to convince me. You are a skilled speaker i would have offered you a position here, on Palabulon 1, as a lecturer at one of our exclusive research centres, but i understand that you are eager to get home. I don`t blame you for that. I would have wanted the same if i were in your situation. There is one last thing i need you to clarify for me." Janeway looked up at the woman, command mask in place.

"I would like to ask one of the space vessel captains whether they agree with your explanations of all you have said. They are the ones who travel after all, the ones on the frontier, out there in space facing all the hostilities. I respect whatever they say and take it as the truth. So here is one of the space vessels Violea`s captain. I would like her to tell us of her experiences with you, tell us her first impression of you." Captain Prisca Neret stood up from her seat.

"My first encounter with Captain Janeway and her crew was in battle. Her ship had just been hit by the Chalabulon 3 youngsters` ship, the Reckless. Voyager was badly in need of repair and most of their weapons arrays had been badly damaged they could not defend themselves. However, their torpedo launcher was still functional but Janeway chose to ask me why i attacked her ship as she meant me no harm. Studying her ship`s design i knew that she could have easily used that to finish me off as it were but she chose to talk. Immediately i knew that there was something special with this alien captain. Her appearance was that of a fallen person but she did not seem to be defeated. So i invited her to our world for a much needed repair, to get to know her better and to apologize for the damage we caused these people. So i invited her to the pub on the Violea where i learned that she was Irish. That was a refreshing discovery to say the least. She is a true cousin. We drank until late then she returned to her ship. In all my travels i have met very few people who are interested in talking. Most prefer to fire first and talk later. Perhaps captain Janeway and her Federation are what we need to strengthen our worlds, Minister. They are our blood relatives after all.

 

A thunderous applause broke out in the lecture hall and everybody gave captain Prisca Neret a long standing ovation. Janeway to her surprise, found herself pulled into a bear hug by the Defense Minister herself. She had walked from the podium to Janeway`s side and surprised the Voyager`s captain with a brief, almost smothering hug. When all was calm again Minister Marie Carole Aitken went back to the front and concluded the meeting. 

 

Janeway and the senior officers were invited to yet another official banquet this time hosted by the Defense Minister herself. The Minister sat at the head of the table in one of the community halls in the city of Ballyne. The room was decorated in blues and greens and the food was familiar. The captain smiled at her plate to see mashed potato, green beans, meat substitute, gravy, carrots and lots of wine. The servers were young Chalabulon 3 youngsters who had attacked the Voyager crew and others under strict supervision of a matron from the Correction centre. Kathryn smiled at her server when she politely bowed at Voyager`s captain in proper respect.

"You will be a a good star ship captain one day, young lady. You thought on your feet and shot at us. I did not see that coming." The young girl, Tammy, blushed and thanked Janeway for the compliment. Kathryn turned her head to look at her hostess, the Defense Minister.

"I so adore your correction methods for the youth. In Earth`s ancient history young offenders were locked away from society. One only wonders what good will become of someone shut away from society. They become antisocial and end up being multiple offenders." 

"Agreed." The women laughed at the absurd and flawed concept and continued eating their meals happily. 

 

Seven of Nine sat at the opposite end of the table. All the food smells were not appealing to her. She had been feeling ill all morning and her senses were heightened. She felt irritable. Research into pregnancy told her that strange feelings were expected but not this early. She guessed that the research spoke of average result rather than individual experiences. So the young woman put on a brave face and accompanied her captain along side the other senior staff to the negotiations and later to the banquet. 

 

Seven brought a forkful of spaghetti to her lips for the fourth time and put it down on the plate again. B`Elanna who sat next to her looked curiously at her friend.

"Something wrong with your food, Princess?" She whispered at Seven.

"I am damaged, B`Elanna." Seven whispered back as she quickly stood from the table and went out of the room with B`Elanna hot on her heels. The women quickly found a toilet down the corridor and Seven leaned over the reclamation unit just in time to hurl violently into the bowl.

"That was efficient." Seven gasped as she stood up with her friend`s support. She flushed the unit and found a sink to rinse her face and mouth while her friend held her hair away from her face. They heard the toilet door open and close.

"Seven? Annika? Where are you?" Seven`s eyes were closed as she felt the cool water splash on her face while B`Elanna held her hair.

"Captain! Minister! Seven is not well." The minister looked at Janeway and smiled in sympathy.

"Captain, i will let you attend to your personal situation. I will arrange for your food to be sent to you." She bowed at Janeway and Lieutenant Torres and left the unit.

"Thank you, B`Elanna." Janeway said and took over from holding Seven`s hair. She quickly did it in a pony tail and helped Seven stand upright.

"I am so sorry, Darling. Why didn`t you tell me you were not feeling well?" Seven opened her mouth to respond then closed it again when she saw her friend, Torres shake her head.

"Janeway to the Doctor. Three to beam up from the community hall to sick bay." They rematerialized in sick bay where the EMH quickly placed Seven on a nearby bio bed. He raised the scanner and started reading the readouts on the screen. Janeway and Torres looked on silently. Finally the captain demanded a report.

"Seven`s pregnancy is growing rapidly. These symptoms are supposed to be felt later not a few days after implantation. Her electrolyte levels have been depleted due to vomiting. She is dehydrated, captain. I will have to give her an intravenous fluid infusion and some supplement infusion. She will have to stay in sick bay for a while while i correct these errors." He concluded. Janeway felt that he was indirectly accusing her of not looking after her girlfriend properly. Kathryn took a deep breath in and let it out slowly.

"I am sorry Doctor. It was all my fault i was so carried away with the negotiations that i failed to notice Seven deteriorate. I promise to do better next time." She said humbly to the amazement of B`Elanna and the EMH. The Holo doctor cleared his throat and looked at the captain who was now gently stroking Seven`s hair as the young woman lay patiently under the scanner activated bio bed. 

"I am so sorry, Sweetheart. I should have asked you how you felt earlier. Please forgive me? I promise to do better next time." Seven smiled weakly at her lover. She wanted to kiss her to remove all the concern she felt for her but she knew that the captain will probably not appreciate the public display of affection so she squeezed Janeway`s hand gently and released it. B`Elanna swooned at the picture and went out of sick bay.

The Doctor gently smiled at Torres and approached the beautiful, tender scene.

"She will be fine, captain. Go have some rest and i will inform you of her progress." Kathryn kissed her girlfriend on the lips and walked out of sick bay. 

"Seven you will have this bland soup with no flavours in it but it is full of nutritious supplements. Dig in." He said as he passed on a small bowl of soup to the now seated Seven. The young woman did her best to finish her soup and waited for the nausea to kick in. None came so she asked for black coffee. The Doctor looked at the young woman outrageously. `Pregnancy is weird` He thought as he prepared a decaffeinated blend for the young woman.


	6. Cells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janeway panics over parenthood. She visits sick bay, makes mischief and names her unborn daughter, all in one night.

That night Janeway tossed and turned in bed with concern over her girlfriend. She wondered whether the young woman will be treated fairly in the Federation when they got home. Will they treat her as a Borg drone, a potential enemy? The words of the Palabulon 1 defense minister played in her mind again. Was Seven a potential enemy? Will she sell the crew to the Borg? She also worried over how she was going to captain a star ship with a baby in her lap. Will she be half the parent her father and mother were? She sighed and sat up in bed? Sleep eluded her so she padded to the kitchenette and brought out a bottle of blue drink and took a healthy swig from it then she reached for her comm badge and activated it.

"Kathryn to Annika? Respond." She whispered. She could feel the heat of the drink slowly descending down her throat and into the pit of her abdomen causing pleasant sensations.

"Seven here, Kathryn." She heard her girlfriend whisper at the other end.

"How are you feeling, Darling? I am worried about you. Shall i come over?"

"Kathryn i am well. I had a bowl of bland soup. It was so bland i think it was made of leola root and plastic. I also had black coffee and i did not throw up..." Seven heard a gasp at the other end.

"You drank what? Coffee is not good for the baby and certainly not for you." Janeway sounded angry, confused and surprised all at the same time. Then after a few seconds she sighed and continued talking. "I am sorry, Annika. I am just a bit too concerned about many things at the moment to think straight. Sorry that i snapped at you i didn`t mean to do that. I am glad that you managed to keep something down without throwing up. You should also try cold peach yoghurt. How is Cells Hansen Janeway doing? You know Cells Hansen Janeway has a nice ring to it, don`t you think?" Seven thought she detected laughter in her girlfriend`s voice.

"Yes, it is a nice name. We will however have to think of other official names to name her but there is plenty of time for that." Seven said.

"Cells is well and growing bigger by the hour. If she keeps this up i may be able to push her out in forty weeks." The young woman said dryly causing Janeway to laugh uncontrollably. At that moment she realized how alike Tuvok and Seven`s sense of humour really was. Seven waited patiently at the other end. 

"I am coming over, Seven. I have something important to do."

"Kathryn, it is 01:00 hours, you should be asleep."

"I will after we, uh, do something first." Seven sighed and gave in. She briefly wondered how Cells will be like when she grows up. Will she be as determined as her captain mother or as curious as herself.

 

Janeway tiptoed into sick bay. She saw Seven sitting up on the bio bed at the back of the room reading a padd. Two infusions were connected to both arms. One was of intravenous fluids and the other had liquid supplements in it. The nurse had set the computer in the Doctor`s office to strictly monitor Seven. She walked out of the office when she saw the captain walk in.

"As you were, Lieutenant Murphy. I am only visiting my patient. Will you allow me a few minutes please?" Janeway asked politely.

"Well, captain it is not visiting hour yet and the Doctor asked me to remind you of that fact if you visit, before he went offline. He said to tell you that you need to go to bed." Angela Murphy said. She saw Janeway smile at her.

"Well, lieutenant i did ask nicely and i am worried about my patient. So here i am."

"Very well, captain i won`t tell him." She said and went back to the office.

 

Kathryn Janeway sat on the bed so close to Seven that the young woman felt heat radiate from her lover`s every pore. A pleasant lavender scent invaded her nostrils and another scent uniquely Kathryn`s. The young woman`s eidetic mind started playing the scenario in the rest house at the Pleasure Island where she and her lover shared a very pleasant and memorable time. A time when Cells was conceived. Seven`s heart started to beat faster causing the monitor to beep loudly. Nurse Murphy looked through the window and saw that Janeway had pulled the screen around the bio bed which Seven occupied. Murphy rolled her eyes. She wondered whether she should go and kick her commanding officer out of sick bay for disturbing her patient then she thought better of it. Finally she just deactivated the buzzer and pretended that the captain was not there.

 

Janeway moved behind her girlfriend to lean against the bulkhead behind her. She brought Seven to lean against her so that the young woman`s back was against her chest. She felt Seven wiggle trying to follow the heat she felt in her lower back between Kathryn`s legs.

"Kathryn?" The young woman whispered. "I need you to feel me and touch me." Janeway, who had drank half the contents of a bottle of Blue Drink, felt the effects kicking in. She thought that was the wisest thing she had heard all evening.

"Yes, Darling but we have to be discreet and very quiet." The older woman whispered back.

 

Kathryn, whose hands were on Seven`s shoulders, started to draw little circles all over till she got to Seven`s chest. She felt the younger woman shiver when her finger tips accidentally grazed across her nipples causing Janeway to smile. Kathryn kept up her ministrations for a while longer until she felt Seven starting to moan softly and wiggle. She reached both hands under the green sick bay gown and moaned at what she found there. Seven was wearing nothing under the gown. Suddenly an idea struck the star ship captain. She undid the gown and wrapped both of them in it. The women did some cleaver maneuvering until Seven found herself straddling the captain. The thrill of being caught heightened their sensations. 

 

Janeway felt the hot centre of her lover graze her clothed thigh. With an economy of movement Seven moved her hips back and forth while they kissed deeply and tried to be quiet. Kathryn found taut nipples. She reached one hand into the gown and squeezed one rock hard bud then the other. She saw her girlfriend throw her head back and cry silently. The captain smiled and reached up to kiss her lover hotly again.

"Kathryn. Use your hand. Please." Janeway easily found Seven`s source of heat and fondled her nerve bundle until she felt the Borg woman stiffen for a moment and threw her head back. The young woman convulsed for long moments. Kathryn reached up and kissed her on the mouth again to muffle any sounds which might escape to alert the nurse of their mischievous deeds. Seven was panting hard as Kathryn carefully tied the sick bay gown and made her patient presentable again. She gently stroked her girlfriend`s hair and kissed her on the forehead. Both of Seven`s drips continued to function properly, thanks to Janeway`s creativity. She kissed her lover once more and went to the office to thank the nurse and proceeded back to her quarters.


	7. Medical orders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The EMH gives Janeway a dressing down. The captain surprises everyone by complying with medical orders.
> 
> ***This chapter may bring unpleasant memories to some readers as it contains issues about pregnancy complications and related stresses. Please use your discretion before proceeding***

"Good morning, nurse Murphy?" The EMH greeted his night staff nurse. "How is our patient?" He peered through the office window to Seven`s bio bed and noticed that she had a screen around it.

"Morning, Doc. I activated you because Seven`s blood pressure has started to rise. This should not happen this early in her pregnancy as she`s only sixty hours pregnant. What should we do?" The nurse panicked when she looked at the screen again. Seven`s blood pressure had shot from 110/ 70 to 195/120. The EMH checked his screen and confirmed the rising blood pressure.

"Nurse, quick i must sedate her. They both rushed to Seven`s bedside and pushed the screen away. Seven lay limp on the bio bed, unconscious.

 

The Doctor quickly injected the young woman with a drug to help lower her blood pressure and another to keep her sedated directly into her carotid artery. When Angela turned the Borg woman to lie on her side she found some drops of blood staining the sheets. The medical team panicked some more as they feared the worst. Seven may be losing the embryo. The Holo Doctor had a very good theory of what may have happened to trigger this episode. He had gained a wealth of knowledge after visiting the Medical symposium on Chalabulon 3. It turned out that pregnancy among the people in that region of space progressed faster than humans on Earth. Usually a normal pregnancy lasts on average six to seven months. That may explain Seven`s seemingly premature onset of Hyperemesis Gravidarum and the preeclampsia. What was puzzling was that Seven was not a native of that region so in theory she should not be affected by them. On the other hand being a hybrid of human and Borg origins meant that anything could happen.

 

The medical team were soon joined by Dr Sarah Brown of the Palabulon 1 Pediatric Research Institute. She advised the Voyager medical team how to deal with such situations. She strongly recommended bed rest and advised against space travel for now, as the stresses of the Voyager`s impending travel with space folding technology may impact severely with Seven`s physiology and may cause them to lose the baby. Voyager`s medical team were surprised when Dr Brown asked if this was Seven`s first baby. She explained that it was a common occurrence among primi gravid women to have this problem due to their seeding partners enthusiastic copulation. The pregnant partner is left with not enough rest periods leading to stresses on the cervix and other areas. She wanted to talk to Janeway about it. The holo Doctor thanked his Palabulon 1 colleague and fumed at Janeway. He was prepared to give her a piece of his mind.

"The Doctor to captain Janeway. Please come to sick bay as soon as possible." He said with a deceptive charm in his voice.

"Janeway, here. What is it Doctor? Is Seven alright?" Janeway was on the bridge when she received the hail. She jumped off her seat, left Chakotay in charge and dove into the turbo lift to take her to deck five where sick bay was located. 

 

As soon as she walked in Janeway knew something was wrong. The Doctor, Angela Murphy, two other sick bay assistants and Doctor Sarah Brown were all standing around Seven`s bio bed. A scanner was placed above it and they were all looking intently at the screen where they could see all of the patient`s vital signs and a live video stream of what the embryo was doing. Janeway cautiously approached the bio bed. She saw Seven unconscious but she looked well. She looked at the screen and saw the group of cells were not there any longer. In their place was a baby but only about ten centimetres long. A rudimentary cord was seen protruding from her abdominal area to attach itself to another flat looking mass. She was no medic but she was sure that was the placenta in Seven`s uterus.

"Ah, captain Janeway. Good to see you. I apologize for the circumstances we are now meeting but i only saw you briefly at the reception the other day then at the presentation in the lecture hall. Well, Seven of Nine is stable at the moment. Her blood pressure has been stabilized but she is not out of the woods yet. Our main aim is to save both the mother and baby. There is evidence of severe stress which led to the onset of this cascade of events. May i speak with you in your Doctor`s office, please?" Janeway was extremely worried. She let the alien Doctor gently guide her to the EMH`s office without a word. 

"I believe Seven had been subjected to too much stress on her cervix. This has triggered the stress but as i said she will make it along with the baby. I strongly advise against space travel. She requires a lot of rest, in bed, with no interruptions."

"What are you saying Doctor Brown?" Janeway was curious.

"No sexual copulation of any kind for at least three weeks. By this time the baby will have grown stronger and her physiological bonds to her mother`s systems will be firm enough to withstand any parental stresses." Brown explained. "Do you understand me, captain?"

"Clearly. You said i cannot be intimate with my girlfriend for at least three weeks."

"...and you understand the reasons for it? It is a common problem among first timers here. So do not worry too much. Seven needs you more now. You need to be strong for her as she may demand intimacy more frequently despite knowing that it is not to be done. She cannot help it as it is a part of the gestation process here. You as the seeding partner will also experience a strong urge to be with her but i suggest you find other activities to do. I am sorry Captain Janeway that your journey home will have to be delayed. We highly value children in our three worlds. I believe you do as well." Sarah Brown gently touched Janeway`s thigh and stood up.

"I understand, Doctor Brown."

 

As Janeway and Doctor Brown left the office Voyager`s holo Doctor intercepted the captain. 

"Captain, how could you be so irresponsible? Sneaking in here and stressing my patient out?" Janeway looked at him with sad eyes. She did not feel like fighting with him so she let him talk while she half listened. Her mind wandered off to the woman lying unconscious on the bio bed because of her carelessness and lust. She was filled with guilt. Janeway pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath in then slowly let it out.

"Seven is the patient and i don`t blame her but you have been selfish. Please don`t make us treat her for this again, captain."

"Are you finished, Doctor? I need to see my patient. I promise i will not do anything to jeopardize your hard work and effort. Thank you, Doctor Brown and you, Doctor and your staff." The captain said and went to Seven`s bedside. She sat on a chair and held one of the patient`s hand in hers and told her everything she had done and what was happening. She also ordered Seven to keep the baby, Cells, in until she was ready to be born. Talking to the unconscious Seven made Kathryn feel better. She knew that Seven heard her somehow she just could not respond verbally. When the medical staff saw the tender scene they decided to cordon the area off to allow them some privacy. Doctor Brown smiled and shook her head as she left sick bay to return to the surface. She had to compile a report to present to the ministry of defense regarding application for delayed travels due to baby making. This time Doctor Sarah Brown laughed out loudly as she stood on Voyager`s transporting padd. She had seen this very scenario so many times in her career as a pediatric specialist. She supposed that creating new life is the same universally. That it brought pain, increased bonding between seeding partners and mothers, love and belonging. If the young Ensign Kalin Resel noticed the senior doctor seemingly laughing alone she did not mention it. Perhaps it was a normal thing on Palabulon 1.

 

The EMH felt terrible for dressing his superior officer down in such an impolite manner. He planned on apologizing to her when the crisis was over.


	8. Contemplation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Janeway thinks things through.

Kathryn Janeway sat at her patient`s bedside a while longer. Then she got up and opened the bedside bottom drawer where she found a small biodegradable bowl, a towel, tooth paste, a tooth brush, a hair brush, a cup and a face cloth. She got some warm water in the bowl and the cup and gently washed Seven`s face then cleaned her teeth with the tooth brush and tooth paste. When the day nurse assigned to look after the patient came to see Seven she hesitated a bit. She did not want to break the tender scene before her. Captain Janeway was lovingly brushing Seven`s hair and neatly tied it up in a pony tail the best she could. She talked to Seven the whole time she tended to her. Finally the nurse made her presence known by clearing her throat. Janeway looked up to see the nurse and smiled at her.

"Ensign Perry, i didn`t see you there. I think i will head back to the bridge now. Look after her well. That`s an order." She said but Janeway was smiling faintly at the other woman.

"You have my word, captain. Thank you for looking after my patient. I will take over from here." Perry smiled back at her commanding officer.

 

Janeway walked onto the bridge. Commander Chakotay looked up to see his commanding officer walk in slowly. She seemed tired, subdued and perhaps worried? He wondered what was really going on then he saw grey eyes look back at him.

"Report." She said.

"We are still at station keeping mode. All of our systems are as good as new. Members of the crew have been scattered in all the three worlds for shore leave. Naomi Wildman has gone to Chalabulon 3 to visit the schools there accompanied by her mother, Neelix, a youth representative and the deputy minister of youth activities and education." He saw a faint smile on his commanding officer`s face but it did not quite reach the eyes.

"Thank you, commander. I will be in my ready room if you need me. Keep me updated."

 

Kathryn walked into her office and sanctuary and headed straight for the replicator for a cup of coffee then she remembered that she may have to consider cutting her intake down a bit in preparation for the baby`s arrival. She may need to breastfeed the baby even if the couple have not had a chance to discuss anything about the baby yet. Kathryn sighed and took her mug with her as she walked up to the upper level of the ready room under the large view port overlooking Palabulon 1. She contemplated the future with her girlfriend, the baby, living together as a family unit, getting back to Earth in a few weeks to come. It all sounded good but something was still missing from the equation to make it perfect. 

 

Janeway sipped on her coffee. "Bleurgh!" She exclaimed and looked at the cold coffee in the mug with an expression of disgust on her face as if it were some alien poison. She went back to the replicator and got herself a fresh mug of hot coffee. Kathryn was surprised at how much time had passed as she sat and thought about her personal life. Initially she planned on doing some work and finish by lunch time then head back to sick bay but it was now lunch time and she has not had any work done. As she turned to go and sit back at the upper level of the ready room her door chime sounded and Tuvok walked in. Janeway sighed. She did not feel like talking about any personal issues with him but when she looked up at him. Hazel eyes looked back at her with a serious expression on his face as if boring right through her soul, Kathryn changed her mind.

"Hello Old Friend. Have you come to chastise me? I know the Doctor has sent you a report on how evil he thinks i am." A humourless chuckle left her mouth. Tuvok raised an eye brow.

"The Doctor needs to learn to phrase things sensitively and accurately. I do not believe you dragged Seven of Nine over a precipice and let her fall down the valley causing her current state. You may have triggered the situation but not in the way he describes. I was quite disturbed by his report and Vulcans do not `get disturbed,` as you know, Captain. However, i was `feeling` for you. Also i may have recommended de compiling his rude sub routine but Starfleet frowns upon such an action." Janeway looked up at him, unbelieving what she had just heard from her friend. If any member of the crew who did not know the tall Vulcan well walked in right then they may have believed that Tuvok was taken over by some alien full of sarcastic humour. She smiled at him while thinking about what he had just said. When understanding dawned on her she started to laugh until tears streamed down her face. Tuvok simply raised an eye brow and waited for his friend to finish laughing.

"Oh, Tuvok, what would i do without you, Old Friend?"

"Nothing, captain." That set Janeway off again. She laughed for a good few minutes then finally took control and calmed down.

 

Janeway thanked her friend for making her laugh then grew serious.

"Tuvok i have a girlfriend and a baby on the way. I am also a Starfleet captain responsible for this crew. How am i going to captain a Star ship with a baby on my lap or breastfeed her? Do you think i will manage that?" She sounded scared. It concerned the Vulcan to see his highly logical friend in such a state so he decided to help.

"Captain, i am going to tell you of my position as a father. Having children makes one even more responsible of one`s life as well as one`s partner and children. In fact one becomes so responsible bordering on obsession and when you meet danger you become even more..." He paused.

"Deadly?" Janeway understood what he said. It made her feel better that this was not an isolated reaction but a normal one for any parent or parent to be.

"I think i know what i am going to do, Old Friend. I am going to marry that girl. I want a complete family unit by the time we get to Earth. I don`t want Starfleet security prodding and messing with my wife or daughter. It wasn`t Seven`s fault that people were assimilated. She was just an unfeeling drone driven by the Collective instinct."

"Marrying Seven of Nine is the most logical course of action. I agree wholly with you, captain and I assure you i am not going to let Stafleet intelligence or security harass any member of our family. I give you my word." The dusky security chief vowed to his friend.

 

The two officers left the ready room. Tuvok went to the mess hall while Janeway and Chakotay went to sick bay. The second in command left Ensign Kim in charge of the bridge. As the command team walked through the sick bay doors they were met by the Doctor himself. He smiled cheerfully at them. Chakotay smiled but Janeway stood in front of him with a cautious expression on her face. 

"Captain, i was about to hail you. I am glad to report that Seven is doing fine and she is awake and having lunch as we speak." The baby is also doing well and growing fast. The three went to Seven`s bed side and found the Borg woman sitting up in bed and eating some grey looking goo from a small bowl with a spoon. Chakotay left after a few minutes but Janeway sat on the bed side chair.

"Kathryn, come and sit on the bed. I do not bite." She smiled seductively. Janeway could not believe what her girlfriend was doing. She felt arousal thick and strong rise through her loins to spread to the upper body.

"No, Seven. Last time i sat on the bed i messed everything up." She said firmly while Seven`s smile faded a bit. Luckily the young woman heard everything her lover said while she lay unconsciously a few hours prior so the young woman had a good idea of what Kathryn meant by `messing everything up.`

"Very well then kiss me at least." Seven looked hopefully at her.

"Are you sure about that? I won`t be able to stop if i start and also there are people all around sick bay. Darling, listen. We have a lot to discuss and i need to tell you something very important." Seven wondered why Kathryn looked nervous. The young woman watched as Janeway got up from the seat, fished for something in her command jacket and knelt on the chair she had just vacated. Kathryn`s hair shone a bronze colour in the bright sick bay lights. She looked so professional in her uniform that Seven wanted to ruffle the hair and ravish her right there in full view of everyone but the young woman continued to watch her lover acting in an uncharacteristic and nervous way. 

"Seven of Nine, Annika. I have loved you for so many long months and years. I have grown to rely on you as a professional colleague but also as a very good friend. Somewhere down the line i have also grown to love you too. What happened on Pleasure Island was no accident. I may have not read the Tour manual which the Doctor gave me, i may have drank the forbidden Blue Drink but know that the actions performed in that rest house was real. I want you to be my special friend. Will you have me?" She waited for a reply with bated breath. 

 

Seven looked at her girlfriend and realized that there will never be another person whom she will ever love other that Kathryn Janeway. She looked down at Janeway who was still kneeling on the chair in front of the young woman.

"Kathryn, i love you with all my heart. What happened on the Island was all intentional on my part. I wanted to have a sub unit with you so that we could be a family unit. The only way to keep you from rejecting my love was to `trap` you by making me pregnant. I will have you on one condition." Seven paused while Janeway`s heart thundered in her chest threatening to escape her rib cage.

"What are your terms?" Janeway asked nervously.

"My only term is that you will marry me and promise to love me and our sub unit Saoirse Cells Hansen Janeway." Kathryn looked up at Seven and flashed her a brilliant crooked smile. Seven smiled back. She reached both hands to cup Kathryn`s face and kissed her briefly. She felt Janeway kiss her briefly back and she quickly backed away. She got the ring out of the small box and placed the yellow metal circular object on the Borg`s finger on her left hand implant. Seven looked at the ring and smiled at her lover.

"Kathryn you have placed the ring on the wrong hand. It is my Borg implant."

"Don`t question my ring placement skills, Seven. This is where i want it to be." Then they kissed again, this time Janeway lingered a bit. She heard her lover moan then she pulled back just in time to hear the monitor on the bed side beep loudly. Janeway lifted her hands up and backed away from the bio bed. 

"I didn`t touch it." She said which was a white lie. While she may not have touched anything but she did do something to the patient to set the alarm off.

 

The EMH came to investigate. He simply turned the alarm volume down, reset it and went back to his tissue sample scans. Janeway noted a smile on his face as he did. She raised an eye brow and took Seven`s spoon to sample the grey goo in the bowl. It tasted surprisingly like lentils.

"Lentils?"

"Lentils. I like it, Kathryn. Do you like the baby`s official name? You can give her another, if you like but i thought Saoirse suits her well."

"It is a beautiful Irish name and i love it. People will have trouble pronouncing it correctly, though. I assume you know how to pronounce it? I was going to call her Astrid which means beautiful goddess just like her mother but she can have all three names. Cells Saoirse Astrid Hansen-Janeway" Kathryn said and punctuated it with a peck on her fiancee`s cheek.

"...and Saoirse means freedom. You freed me from the Collective, Kathryn, and now i am free to love you, marry you and have a family with you. What else could a drone want? And yes i know how to pronounce our daughter`s name. Saoirse is pronounced Seercha or Searcha." Janeway felt tears threatening to fall from her eyes and she let them fall freely. It was only her lacrimal glands malfunctioning after all as everybody knows that star ship captains do not cry.


	9. Vacation on Palabulon 1 continues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Voyager crew extends their stay on Palabulon 1 due to medical reasons.
> 
> OK i think by now you know that i love baby fics/ family fics. So here`s a bit more :)
> 
> I have only managed to update a small amount, not at all as i wanted to :( but i`ll try to do more update as soon as possible. Currently working on my first published story and other projects (not to mention my day job, haha!!). I`ll update you as i go along.

"So, captain. What`s the verdict?" B`Elanna Torres asked as she looked around the conference room. Everybody had a mischievous smile on their faces, except Tuvok, after listening to the Doctor`s report of the reasons for not using the new Palabulonian space folding drive. The Doctor read his very brief and concise report at the staff meeting:

"Due to the nature of the new space folding drive of our new Federation members, my colleague,

Dr Sarah Brown of the Pediatric Research Institute and i, are strongly recommending against its use 

while having an expectant mother on board. While the initial cause of the instability of the pregnancy 

was partner enthusiasm, which is a very common cause of this condition in these worlds, the use of the drive

will exacerbate the condition. On these worlds we value children so much that if one child`s life is jeopardized, 

all our worlds must come to a standstill. Our off spring are our future.

Signed: Sarah Brown (Research coordinator) and EMH mark 1(Resident chief medical officer, Starship Voyager)."

 

Janeway pinched the bridge of her nose as she heard Tom Paris clear his throat.

"Yeah, captain. I`m sorry i missed the earth shattering partner enthusiasm fun in sick bay. I was away on Malabulon 2 feeding the ducks." B`Elanna could not believe what her on and off boyfriend was saying about the captain. It bordered on insubordination so she decided to silence the man.

"Ha! The tremor you have been attempting to cause barely broke a spring on the bed. I wish i had my bed spring dislodged caused by an earth shattering night of fun." Torres said and looked pointedly at her boyfriend. That silenced the man. He looked at the captain and mumbled an apology.

"What would i give for an earth shattering pot of leola root stew." Neelix said wistfully. Everybody looked at him as if he had grown two heads.

"Neelix, What are you talking about?" Harry Kim said as he laughed so hard and was leaning on the conference room table. The laughter was contagious and soon everybody joined in except Tuvok. He merely raised an eye brow at the adolescent behaviour of the senior staff. Soon Chakotay was able to control his mirth. He raised a hand and took control of the meeting.

 

The senior staff agreed to stay on the Palabulon 1 homeworld for four weeks rather than the initial three weeks. The good news about it was that the request for the three worlds to join the United Federation Of Planets had been accepted and approved by Federation president, Jaresh Inyo, on Earth. The worlds were now part of the Federation. Most Palabulon 1, Malabulon 2 and Chalabulon 3 inhabitants had visited Voyager and in turn crew members had mingled and spread in every corner of the three inhabited planets swapping culture, recipes and many young women on Voyager had new experiences on Pleasure Island. Torres, the Voyager`s half Klingon chief engineer was one such person. However, she would never admit to it even if she had a Bat`leth placed within centimetres of her neck. Some Voyager crew had received job offers on the three worlds and some of the worlds` inhabitant had shown interest in joining Voyager so that they could see Earth, the Federation and Starfleet.

 

Janeway thanked the senior staff for agreeing to stay longer on the account of her personal circumstances. Seven and the unborn baby were not stable enough to travel by means of the space folding drive yet. Dr Sarah Brown continued to monitor the young woman while updating and showing the EMH how to handle things if Seven`s condition became unstable. 

 

Seven of Nine was released to quarters under strict bed rest. She had to wear a cortical monitor at all times and had to only sit up in bed for meals for a short period of time. The first day the young woman was released from sick bay, Dr Brown herself and the EMH wheeled the patient on a hover stretcher which slowly hovered a few centimetres above the floor. The senior doctor did not want a bump on the floor or a sudden jerk to hit the stretcher and cause unnecessary stress to mother and baby. She held the hover control herself and guided it from deck to deck until they reached deck three, where the captain`s quarters were located. The EMH mark one suggested that they transport Seven from sick bay to the captain`s cabin but Dr Brown did not trust transporter technology on a delicate bundle of cells growing within the young woman. Dr Brown then gave Janeway her contact details to directly get in touch with her anytime and for any reason related to Seven. Janeway admired the hard working senior doctor`s attention to detail and dedication to duty. She was very grateful to the duo for saving both her fiancee and little Cells Hansen-Janeway.

"So what would you like to eat, Darling?" Kathryn asked as she slowly rubbed her fiancee`s small bump which was only beginning to show. Janeway was impressed at the rapid growth of the bump. She leaned one ear on it to listen then she started talking to the baby. She ordered Cells to stay in until the right time for her to be born. Seven watched Janeway with amusement. She played with Kathryn`s silky red locks then kissed the redhead.

"Kathryn, i am hungry."

"That`s what i was asking you earlier. What would you like to eat?"

"You." Janeway pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"Darling, we`ve already gone through this. I want you too but we can`t." She sighed as she thought of what to say. "You want to see Cells, don`t you?" Seven nodded her head. "So do i but for us to see her we need to do certain things to ensure her safety. We need to wait. I can`t let you go through all that stress again." Kathryn kissed her cheek and as she was about to get up from the bed she felt moisture on her face. She looked up to notice fat tears coming from Seven`s eyes as she cried. 

"You do not love me, Kathryn. You have not touched me for a week now, why?" Janeway felt like crying too. She wanted her fiancee so much and she had to be strong for her or they may lose the baby. The captain did not know what to say in order to convince her stressed partner so she contacted Dr Brown from the surface. A few seconds had passed before the captain`s door chimed requesting entry. Dr Brown walked in with a smile on her face and carrying a med kit in her hand. She walked to Janeway`s bedroom door and stood there silently observing Kathryn rubbing Seven`s back soothingly and murmuring things she could not hear.

"Seven, what is the matter?" The senior doctor asked.

"Kathryn does not love me any more. She has not touched me for a whole week." More tears ran down the young woman`s face. Janeway went out of the room to prepare lunch while doctor Brown took over Kathryn`s place.

"You know, Seven, Kathryn loves you very much. She told me herself. We have had a long chat and she understands what is going on in your body physiologically. By not touching you, even though she would love to do so, she is only protecting the baby and your health. You understand that, Annika?" Seven looked at the older woman and nodded her head in understanding.

"So what can we do for enjoyment?" Seven asked, still sulking.

"You may cuddle and there is only a week left. I believe the baby will be stable by then so you may be free to receive attention from your lover, not giving attention yet because that may cause more stress on your body. You may resume normal copulation in eight weeks. For now let Kathryn do her duty starting from next week." Sarah smiled at Seven.

"What does that involve? What does Kathryn need to do?"

"She is aware of what things she can do and what she cannot do." The older woman reassured her. She gently tucked a lock of hair behind Seven`s ear. The young woman reminded her of her daughter who had a similar condition a few years ago.

 

Kathryn returned from the kitchenette with a tray of chicken salad sandwiches, potato salad, juice, coffee and tea. She also had a bowl of fruit salad, made from fresh fruit obtained from the surface. She wheeled it all on a small cart which she had dug up from the depth of ship stores. Dr Brown was willing to stay and have lunch with the new parents to be. The older doctor has done this many times in her line of work as a Pediatric specialist. As they talked about different things, Brown discreetly took scans of her patient. She noticed that Seven`s stress hormone levels had dropped significantly. She decided to let Seven walk around the quarters for a few minutes if that goes well then the young woman may be allowed to do light duties in the cabin under strict supervision. Brown left for the surface.

 

Seven hated the idea of wearing a cortical monitor at all times. She felt that the instrument was intrusive, that the EMH was watching her every move. At one point the ex drone pulled the thing off her neck and smashed it on the floor. Janeway was ware of the mood swings which came with pregnancy so she simply picked up the pieces and threw them into the recycler. She went into the bedroom drawer and brought a new one which was given to her by the Doctor earlier and calmly put it on her fiancee`s neck.

"Darling, you know that you have to be monitored by the Doctors. Please keep this on, for the baby`s sake?" Kathryn said sweetly and kissed her lover gently on the lips. Seven loved the attentions so she decided to keep the cortical monitor on. She smiled at Kathryn and let her place the new monitor on her neck. Then she decided that if she kept the monitor on Kathryn may not kiss her again. She considered throwing the the damn thing across the room until it smashed into the wall then changed her mind. Maybe she will do it later when she needed a sweet kiss from her partner. Who knew? Kathryn may do something more than kiss...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don`t forget to drop me a kudos if you haven`t done so yet :) :) i love them. Actually they are like currency. It`s how i get paid :) Now you know, lmao!!


	10. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Voyager crew approach their final days on Palabulon 1, Janeway and Seven visit the High Priestess then gossip with a friend.

"For the last time, Darling, no. I just can`t disobey Doctors` orders and `fuck you senseless.`" Janeway sighed. Her girlfriend`s behaviour was getting out of hand and so was her own libido. Janeway had been visiting the holodeck a lot lately. A few holo characters have had to endure her voracious sexual appetite, damaging several of their supposed indestructible sub routines in the process. One female hologram had to endure a three hour long session of rough sex she bled all over the holographic white bed sheets in the holographic hotel room. Kathryn just wanted sex for sexual release purposes. It was the least she could do if she were to stay sane for the duration of Seven`s danger zone where sexual intimacy was contraindicated.

"Kathryn, you have the power to order the Doctor to do anything you require. Order him to allow us to resume intimacy. I cannot go on like this. I require your attentions." Seven said amidst sobs. Fat tears streamed down her face as she lay on the couch in the living area. Kathryn was also on the verge of tears but she had to be strong for her pregnant fiancee. She sat beside her distraught fiancee and gently stroked her hair.

"How about i run you a nice relaxing bath? I will give you a massage afterwards and then we can both go down to the surface for a walk this evening. I also wanted to visit the High Priestess, just for fun, of course." Seven thought those were great ideas but she frowned when Kathryn mentioned the High Priestess. The young woman knew that Janeway was not religious. She wondered why Kathryn wanted to visit a religious figure.

 

The women walked along a small path leading to a large stone building with a pointed roof. The building`s design reminded Kathryn of 19th century Earth`s English countryside buildings and houses. Several other small buildings with a similar design dotted a large area in the valley giving the place an appearance of a campus of some sort. Perhaps this was a religious university, Janeway wondered. 

 

It was a lovely summer evening on Palabulon1 very much like any Earth`s summer evening. As the women approached the building, Janeway led the way with Seven following behind, an elderly woman wearing a long dark blue robe came from behind the building to meet them. Janeway stopped in her tracks while Seven walked on until she bumped into Kathryn.

"Oomph! I apologize for my inattention, Kathryn. I was admiring something and lost concentration." In a quick reflexive move Janeway turned around, held her fiancee in a firm embrace to stop her from falling forward then she smiled at the older woman who came to meet them.

"Hello, i am Merelle Taures. I am honoured that you chose to visit me this fine evening. I get visits from many young and new couples. They come to inquire of wisdom on how to go about their new joined and bonded lives. Please, follow me." The old woman smiled at the couple standing in front of her. She led them to the front of the large stone building with a pointed roof. Kathryn looked around the well manicured gardens and wondered who worked for the elderly woman. Merelle seemed to sense Kathryn`s inquiry. She smiled and explained that a few young females regularly did come to do chores for her. She also had students who lived on site and studied the worlds` religious and holy texts. There were a few more smaller buildings where the students and anyone who wished to meditate, study religion or to seek a quiet life came to seek the high priestess`s wisdom lived. Kathryn had to admire the wisdom of including the younger generation in all areas of life from science to religion.

 

The three women walked into a large room with cushions spread on the floor, possibly for meditation. In front of the room was something which looked like a console, very much like the many consoles on Voyager`s bridge. Seven looked around as she listened to the high priestess explaining the history of the monastery to Kathryn. The young woman walked around checking into the small rooms on the side of the large room. She looked at Merelle and inquired of their functions.

"These rooms," the blue robbed woman said as she opened one, "are where couples mate. Some couples have trouble conceiving offspring so they come here to meditate and copulate surrounded by nature in peace and harmony. The special bond formed between them as they orgasm in unison summons the great Goddess Ardella, herself. Legend tells us that the goddess was once a mortal Chalabuloner. She enjoyed life pleasing females who could not enjoy a fulfilling sexual life. She taught them how to do it the right way herself. She is a goddess of love." Merelle smiled mischievously when she saw Janeway`s face redden in embarrassment. "The console at the front of the room provides music for the sexual sessions, provides the necessary surrounding for the couples and summon the goddess herself." Kathryn understood this to mean deep meditation which sounded a bit like Chakotay`s spiritual quests for animal guides only a bit more elaborate. She nodded her head in understanding. Seven continued her investigation. She opened one door after another. Each of them was cozy, had a multitude of cushions spread on the floor. A small replicator stood in a corner and a door leading to an en suite. She peered into the en suite which was similar to Kathryn`s on Voyager. She smiled to herself at the intimacy of the setting and she started to imagine she and Kathryn seated on the cushions summoning the sex goddess Ardella. The young woman took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled it. The arousal threatening to overwhelm her subsided a bit but she could still feel it simmering.

 

Kathryn joined her lover in one of the rooms to find Seven looking around wondrously. Kathryn recognized the look and smiled. She knew that Seven had eidetic memory and will likely recreate this setting when they got back on the ship.

 

The three women toured the large campus. They were introduced to some of Merelle`s students. Most of them were joined and bonded couples but there were also single females who were trying to find their path through life. Finally the blue robed high priestess brought the couple to a large kitchen. It was also built of stone, like the other buildings. The only difference was that even the kitchen`s interior was also built of stone. There were large industrial sized cookers, refrigeration and stasis units and rows of chairs and tables placed against counters and sinks. There were also dish washing machines. Off the building was a laundry unit. Janeway noted that the whole area was self sufficient. They used solar power and pumped their own water from a nearby river for use. At the back of the building was land for growing crops and fresh produce and an orchard supplied the inhabitants with fresh fruits. The Voyager officers were impressed by these people`s lifestyle. It seemed a clean environment away from the hustle and bustle of Ballyne city and as Traditionalist as Janeway. Kathryn wondered briefly how Seven will react to a Traditionalist lifestyle. 

 

Merelle sat her visitors in the stone kitchen and offered them tea, coffee, juice and snacks. Seven wanted black coffee which caused Janeway to frown but she was not surprised. Her fiancee`s cravings were getting interesting bordering on being weird. Janeway remembered when Seven ate boiled green peas with half a bottle of tomato ketchup splattered on the peas to which she had added two teaspoons of sugar and grains of boiled corn. Then the young woman had put the mixture on toast. Kathryn recalled the young woman`s face of happiness and contentment as she attacked the defenseless toast with her hands and mouth while Janeway carefully hid a smile.

"A healthy combination, Darling. I`m sure the baby approves." She had said then while smiling at Seven encouragingly.

 

Back in the present Kathryn apologized to her hostess for her fiancee`s rudeness, even though all Seven did was ask for black coffee.

"Nonsense!" The older woman said while going to grant Seven her request. She returned with a cup of black decaffeinated coffee and handed it over to the young woman. "Pregnant mothers must not be denied of their wishes, captain. Creating a human within your body is a taxing job for anyone, let alone primers like yourselves." She smiled gently at Seven. As they sipped on their drinks the older woman pronounced blessings on the Voyager couple. She claimed that their daughter was going to be a successful individual. She even accurately mentioned all of the baby`s names which Janeway and Seven found impressive. They knew that the high priestess may have simply read the information from the computer but this particular incident where they named their unborn baby was done in sick bay and only Kathryn and Seven were present.

 

A few chats later Kathryn and Seven returned to the ship. The couple were relaxed and felt that the visit to the high priestess was a time well spent. The women lay on the couch in each others` arms lazily kissing and hugging. This is how B`Elanna Torres found them. 

 

Kathryn sat up and held her sleeping fiancee in her arms. She hid her face in the blond tresses and started to doze off. When she heard a chime at the door she asked the computer of the visitor`s identity and let them in.

 

B`Elanna Torres walked in and found the couple cuddling on the couch. She stood in the middle of the living area and smiled at the sight before her.

"Captain?" Torres whispered, trying to not wake the sleeping woman up. "You two look cute together."

"Thank you." Janeway smiled up at the woman. "Have a seat."

 

B`Elanna sat on the couch opposite, facing the couple. Seven stirred in Janeway`s arms, mumbled something and pressed her face on Kathryn`s breast. Her lips were dangerously close to a nipple. Kathryn tried to ignore the fact by engaging her half Klingon chief engineer in conversation about ship business. She learned that the space folding drive was ready and that all they were waiting for was for Seven`s condition to stabilize then they can use the drive safely. Kathryn had already known this for she had read the reports from all ship`s department but she needed the unofficial report and gossip of what was going on. Torres had reported that most women had paired off with the local females and that they may have trouble with crew quarters because most of the Buloners wanted to come along to visit Earth. If the rumours were to be believed, the locals have had their official travel documents organized in preparation of Voyager`s departure the following week. Janeway sighed. She had not anticipated this little `problem.` When she felt Seven stir in her arms and rubbed her cheek on the now erect nipple, Kathryn looked down at the sleeping form, a cautious look on her face. She now realized what her devious partner was doing. Seven pretended to sleep and had figured out a way to make her lover aroused so that they could make love. 

"Wake up, Honey. We have a visitor." Kathryn said and gently rocked the sleeping form. Seven made a protesting sound, touched Kathryn`s other breast and pressed her lips to the erect nipple on the soft mound. B`Elanna stood up and went to the replicator.

"Captain, mind if i get something strong from your replicator? My mind can`t handle watching the hottest women on the ship flirting." That caused Janeway to blush.

"Come on, Seven. Wake up. There`s a time for everything and this is not the place for `everything.`" Seven opened her eyes, an unrepentant smile on her face.

 

Seven sat up and offered a half hearted apology to Kathryn. Janeway rolled her eyes at her and went to the small kitchen. A few moments later she returned with a tray full of different non nutritional snacks as well as nutritional ones such as finger foods and dips she got from the planet surface. The three women sat down to eat, drink and talk and gossip some more. After Seven was brought up to date on the ship`s gossip she made a remark which Janeway had been thinking about ever since the ship had arrived in the Farakken Expanse.

"If we are not careful all the Voyager women will pair off with the people here. When that happens we shall be short on individuals manning the key systems on the ship." Seven said as she dipped a small carrot in hummus dip and chewed it slowly. Janeway looked at her and smiled.

"I agree, we will have an unexpected problem on our hands. What if the problem was the other way round, that we will have too many people on board, more than the normal crew complement?" So the three women talked excitedly about that for a while. In the process Janeway and Seven learned that their friend, B`Elanna had broken off with the helmsman, Tom Paris, that she had an eye on a beautiful Palabuloner pilot. It seemed that the chief engineer had a thing for fly boys and fly girls. Torres defended herself that she could not help it.

"B`Elanna, Teren Malik is cute. I met her once when Matisse Neret, the first officer of the Violea introduced the captain and i a few weeks ago. She possesses red hair like Kathryn and has an Irish background. Do you like people like Kathryn?" That made them laugh but Torres was a bit nervous. She knew that what Seven said was close to home. Initially the chief engineer had fancied Janeway but when Seven came on board she stood no chance. She still admired the Voyager captain but had learned to control her desires. When Tom Paris showed a romantic interest the woman had jumped at the chance. Now she felt that she could not keep up with the lie any longer. That she had to come out and be true to herself.

"I guess i do have a thing for redheads. Teren and i have been to the Pleasure Island. She is organizing her travel documents so that she can come to Earth with us. Captain, how many more engineers do you need on Voyager? Malik is a qualified engineer senior grade. She is the one who led the team who fitted the space folding drive but she enjoys piloting."

"As you know, Torres, that Voyager is a ship of exploration, i do not mind a few more specialists on my ship but i will announce the new crew complement on our final staff meeting before we leave next week. I have been in touch with the Transport Safety Department on Malabulon 2. They say that their intrepid class ships can handle up to two hundred crew members but the design is slightly different. Have you seen their version of the intrepid? It`s almost identical to Starfleet ones. When we get home i believe our engineers will have to talk with the Buloner ones and reach a conclusion on what intrepid design we should use." 

 

Seven and Janeway had visited the EMH and Dr Sarah Brown. A few detailed scans were conducted. The doctors disappeared into the EMH`s office for a few minutes while Kathryn and Seven waited in the examination room at the back of sick bay. Finally the doctors return with smiling faces. The EMH let his colleague explain things to the couple.

"Captain, Seven, i am glad that all your hard work and sacrifice has worked well for the baby. She has firmly attached herself to your systems, Seven of Nine and there is no danger of losing her at this point or any point. You are free to be intimate in any way you both feel like. I, however, feel that i should mention that Kathryn as the seeding partner, you are required to still be cautious of how much pressure you should place on your spouse. She may still make unreasonable requests for intimacy."

"Unreasonable requests?" Janeway wanted to know.

"Wanting intimacy all night long will cause exhaustion on her systems." Brown clarified.

"I see. Well, i will be responsible enough to not cause that to happen. Thank you both. I hope Dr Brown you will visit Earth one day. Please come and see us when you do." Janeway said.

"Thank you both. I will be sure to visit you when i come to Starfleet Medical."

 

THE END.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I apologize for not finishing it in time. Life gets in the way of fun sometimes, as you all know :( 
> 
> Please don`t forget to leave kudos if you like the story. If you don`t like it, well, there are other stories you may enjoy. Feel free to take a look at my other stories and leave kudos there as well :)
> 
> Love you all :)

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos are welcome as i thrive on them. Comments are also nice. Bring them on :)


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